Snowed In
by SephCurrentDaughterofPoseidon
Summary: Clary is convinced by her brother, Jon, to join him and a group of their friends for a trip during her break. One of the people in the group is her ex, Jace Herondale. She is not entirely happy about this, but will suck it up for the good of the group...will she still be able to say that when a snowstorm hits and leaves them stranded in the cabin?
1. Chapter 1

**Welcome to 'Snowed In'! So what happens when Clary, a Freshman in College, gets convinced by her brother, Jon, to join him and a few of their friends for a week in a cabin? Probably sounds pretty uninteresting, but when one of those friends happens to be her ex, Jace Herondale, things get a bit more heated, even in the middle of December. Of course, despite Jace's presence, Clary is determined to have a good time…luck just doesn't seem to be on her side when a freak snowstorm hits and strands them inside of the cabin with no one but the seven of them for company.**

**Seems pretty needless to say that she's in for a wild ride! I'll leave you to your reading for now….**

* * *

><p>"What do you mean that we're <em>stuck<em> in here?" I all but shout in my brother's face. He is looking at me as though I am insane, and everyone else is sitting around the cabin with grim looks of resignation on their faces.

"It could be worse," Jace says from his seat across the room. I don't have to turn around to see the cocky smirk that is plastered on his face. "You could be here without my incredible wit and charm."

"If someone doesn't stop talking," I growl, "he's going to be here without a heartbeat!" I round back on Jon, feeling my anger increase as the very thought of Jace enters my head. "You told me that it would be fine and that everyone else was going to be here in a couple of days! Now, I'm stuck here with no way back to…anywhere!"

"Quit being so dramatic, Clary," Jonathan says, rolling his exasperated green eyes. "Help should be here anytime now."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Two days earlier:<strong>_

I am riding shotgun in Isabelle's cherry red Porsche as she races down the interstate, following my brother's large Ford, which is carrying a couple of his friends inside and all of our luggage in the truck bed, behind us is her brother and her brother's boyfriend in a showy sports car that I don't know the name of. The radio is playing quietly in the background and I can just pick up the sounds of an old-timey Christmas song that I faintly remember hearing a few times before. I hear Isabelle humming along to it and turn to look at her as she is driving. Her long black hair is woven into a braid to keep it out of her eyes as she tries to concentrate on the road; her black eyes are covered by a pair of stylish designer sunglasses. Despite the way that she was sitting, slightly slouched in the seat, she was still easily taller than me, and carried the length with a lot more grace than I ever could. I saw her glance into the mirror that was on the back of the sun-visor and wipe at something on her cheek, though I have no idea what it would be considering that her skin is pale and flawless.

"What?" she asks, smiling over at me embarrassedly before looking back at the road, "I love this song!"

I shake my head and turn back around so that I am staring at the road in front of me again. The sky above is clear and beautiful, though if I squint my eyes, I can make out some darkness on the horizon line. I smile slightly at the thought. It might snow.

"How did Jon even convince you to come out here?" Isabelle asks me. I look back over at her and see that she is looking in between me and the road at even intervals. Part of me is nervous and wants to tell her to keep her eyes forward while she is speeding, but I don't because she's the most capable driver I know.

"He bribed me with the promise of amazing presents," I admit with a sheepish smile.

"That was worth coming out here with _him_ for you?" she asks me incredulously.

I sigh and tuck my red hair behind my ear as I look back out at the road. The truck in front of us is holding the person in question and I am no happier about the fact now than I was when I learned that he would be accompanying us. "No, but Jon begged me, and finally guilted me into coming. I don't care if Jace is here. We broke up over a year ago, and I'm over him."

"That's my girl!" Izzy says encouragingly. She reaches over and pats me on the shoulder gently before saying, "Just try not to fight with him too much, okay? He and Kaelie were fighting really badly last night and I don't know what's going on with them."

I want to tell her that I don't care, but I have a feeling that it would come off sounding very bitchy. I don't want to start the Christmas holidays off with that outlook. Maybe if I went into this with a few positive thoughts, Jace and I just might become friends again.

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><p>It takes a few hours for us to find the small cabin that is nestled maybe a mile down a bumpy trail in the forest. We all exit the cars at the edge of the wood where a small and vacant parking lot is sitting, surrounded by even more trees. Of course, the first thing that I see when everyone gets out of the cars is glitter. That is because of Magnus Bane, he is the single coolest guy that I've ever met and will probably ever meet. I'm almost disappointed that he's gay. I say almost because of his boyfriend, Alec Lightwood, he and Alec make the cutest couple that I've ever seen, and I can't imagine them with anyone else. Alec is Isabelle's brother and shares the ink colored hair, pale skin, and immaculate looks. The only thing that differs between them is their eye colors. Alec has blue eyes and Izzy has dark, almost black ones. Magnus has spiky black hair that is covered in glitter, tanned skin, and the facial features of someone that is of oriental descent. They both grin at us as we begin walking toward them, just as the boys from the truck start getting out.<p>

I look up and see my brother's large build jump out of the driver's seat, a crooked smile on his face and his green eyes, the same shade as mine, light up in what seemed to be a mixture of excitement and laughter. The thought makes me happy myself and I cast him a smile before looking back at the two guys in front of us. "What do you think?" Magnus asks, gesturing grandly to the small wooden building. I look at it, wondering exactly where all of the room that Magnus had mentioned it having went.

"This is it?" I question, not really meaning to sound put out, but I thought that it was going to be bigger.

"Of course it's it, Clary," Magnus says, crossing his arms and rolling his eyes at me. "It isn't supposed to be huge, but trust me, we'll all fit. There're three bedrooms, and the couch is a pullout bed."

I look at the building skeptically again, wondering exactly where three bedrooms were squeezed inside, but I let the thought go. If there was one thing that I'd learned in the ten or so years that I'd known Magnus, it was that I was to never question him…he always had something up his incredibly stylish sleeves. "Okay," I say. "Let's get our stuff then."

The boys were already pulling things out of the bed of the truck and placing them on the dirt-covered ground behind them. I see Jon about to place my bag down when I hurriedly snatch it away from him before he can. I reach up and ruffle his pale blond hair affectionately before I shoulder the pack. He glances at me with a raised eyebrow and I say, "You need a haircut."

"You're saying that when Jace over here," he jabs his thumb to the guy next to him, who was hoisted halfway off the ground so that his upper torso was covered by the walls of the bed, "is starting to look like a girl."

"I bet I'd make a prettier one than you!" Jace says indignantly before he pushes himself back off the truck with a couple bags in his hand. He carelessly tosses them to the ground behind him as he turns and looks at us both with narrowed eyes. "Don't talk about my hair...it's sensitive." This right here was the source of all of my problems. Jace freaking Herondale. Of course, most girls would argue that with his looks, they would beg for him to be something of theirs, even if it was only a problem. I'm not one of them. I feel anger bubbling inside of my stomach as I look at him, taking in the golden tan on his skin, the curly blond hair that was beginning to brush his shoulders, the large and well muscled frame, and the crooked smile that seemed to be his trademark thing. What I refuse to look at are his eyes, which are nothing more than pools of gold.

I look away from him quickly and back to Jon, "I was talking to _you._ He can look like a girl all he wants. I'm related to you, though, so I refuse to have anyone questioning your gender."

"I can have long hair and not look like a girl!" Jon protests.

"I'm worried about the fact that you're even having this conversation," a voice comes from the other side of the pickup. I look over and see the dark hair and olive skin of my best friend, Simon Lewis.

I grin over at him and nod my head, "I know, he worries me sometimes, I have a feeling that my mother should have gotten him tested when he was younger."

"I think you've gotten that backward," Jon says, giving me a playful nudge. "You're the one who needed the mental evaluation."

"You are fairly crazy," Jace adds as he shoulders a small black pack that looked to be just enough for a week's supply of clothes any toiletry items.

"Really?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "I thought that my only fault was bad judgment." I see Jace flush slightly an cannot stop the feeling of satisfaction that runs through me at the sight. I know that I am aiming to get along with him, but I refuse to let him talk as if he knows anything about me. Without another word, I away from them and around the truck to Simon. He is grabbing his last bag as I make it to him. I see with a smile that his glasses are askew as he straightens back up. I reach over and fix them wordlessly so that his deep brown eyes are properly behind the frames again. Almost at the same time, we sling our arms over each other's shoulders and begin walking toward the promising warmth of the cabin.

Allow me to admit that the cabin is a lot larger from the inside than the outside. Magnus is like magic! The layout is nice and feels cozy. The door opens to the living room, which has a hallway on the left wall, two doors on the back wall, and a kitchen on the right. This is all that the home consists of, but the way that Magnus has decorated everything completely makes up for the lack of large space. Everything is dazzling, and luxurious, from the plush black leather couches in the middle of the living room to the fifty inch television that is sitting over the large fireplace in the corner of the living room. The kitchen is equipped with a small stove, and a small island for people to eat, along with a table pushed against the end wall that has a large window overlooking the forest.

"This is amazing, Mags!" Izzy gushes as she spins around, taking everything in with silent awe. I can't help but agree with her.

"Go ahead and place your things down in your rooms!" Magnus calls. "The girls have the one at the end of the hallway, and Alec and I have the one right here," he points to the door that it closest to the kitchen. "The rest of you can fight over who gets the last room and who gets the pull-out bed. After you're all settled in, we can start planning out our week."

Izzy and I grin at each other before rushing past Magnus and toward the hallway, laughing as we run. Isabelle gets to the door first and opens it without really breaking her stride. It is a fairly decent sized room for the size of the house and I am sure that we can both make it work. There is a single queen sized bed, and I am suddenly glad that neither of us are major bed hogs. It seems like Izzy is on the same page because she asks, "Did you ever get over that violent twisting-turning thing you did with nightmares?"

"First off, it wasn't really nightmares," I inform her as I sit my bag on the far side of the bed, claiming it as my own. "It was whenever I was upset, nightmares included, and not really, but I don't see what would get me too upset in a place like this."

Both of us are silent for a moment, and I know that she is refraining from saying the one name that I am thinking myself. There wasn't a lot to get me upset, but the one person that could, would be able to piss me off enough to be counted as a lot. Izzy smiles at me after a moment and pulls her braid over so that it is resting over her shoulder, reminding me of Katniss from the Hunger Games. "Come on," she said. "I'm not letting the guys dictate our whole week. We only have seven precious days of freedom before our parents show up."

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><p><strong>I figured that I would put the first chapter up! I'm still getting everything straight in the story, and I'm trying to figure out where I'm taking everything, but I'm sure that I've got the general idea pretty well thought out. Does this seem like a good plan? I haven't really consulted with <strong>_**anyone**_** about this, actually, so I'm kind of nervous. If you could leave your thoughts before you go, you have no idea how much I would greatly appreciate your cooperation. :)**


	2. Chapter 2

Magnus is lounging on the couch as we both walk out. He grins at me almost indulgently as I sit as far away from Jace as I can. "How are you, Clare?" he asks me brightly. "It feels like it's been too long since we've really spoken."

"I just spoke to you outside, Mags."

"I mean before that, of course!" Magnus says with a wave of his hand. He rolls his eyes at me and sighs at my ridiculousness. "I see you haven't lost the quirky sense of humor that kills me all of the time."

"That's the only thing about her that kills you?" Jon asks as he walks out of the hallway followed closely by Simon. I realize that Jace must have lost whatever contest or battle that they had waged for the room. I am surprised, but not displeased by the bit of news. Losing looks good on him.

"Yeah," I say, sticking my tongue out at Jonathan. "I'm sweet, remember?"

"Yeah," Jon muttered. "Sweet enough to rot your teeth." Jace snorts at this comment and I throw him a glare. He looks back at me for a moment before shifting his gaze and uncomfortably fidgeting in his seat.

"Okay," Magnus says loudly. "Let's get back with the plans! My family owns about a mile of the forests behind the house, and beyond that, I don't really care about. There's a fabulous trail that's behind there, and I figured that the health nuts around here," he shot everyone but Simon and me a glance, "would appreciate a trip through the forest. The rest of us normal people…well, the trees are pretty." I snort along with everyone else, and we all murmur some variation of an agreement. "Next," Magnus says, "I say that we have a Christmas movie marathon, because us normal people are going to need time to replenish our energy reserves…."

The discussion continues on for a while, everyone pitching in different ideas to be accepted or vetoed. I admit that I am excited for everything that is in store. To be honest, I'm glad that we don't start today…I'm still exhausted from the journey. "Magnus," Jon says slowly after a moment. "Have you bought any supplies for us…you know, like _food?"_

I hear Magnus mutter something under his breath. He lets out a laugh and says, "Sorry, I forget about your petty mortal needs, such as eating."

I see Alec roll his eyes. "Right, Magnus," he says, patting his boyfriends shoulder in mock support, "we all know you're really a warlock in disguise."

"Okay," Izzy says, standing up. "Easy fix. Jon, Jace, Mags, and Clary can go to the store and the rest of us can stay and fix the rooms up and clear out the house."

"You make it sound dirty," Magnus says, sounding a little offended. "I happen to like the cabin the way it is."

"It's filthy," Jace says, his voice sounding close to horrified. "I figured you at least _knew _that it was a disaster."

"It's just dusty from disuse," Izzy says, rolling her eyes at Jace. "Shut up, Herondale."

Jace smirks at Isabelle and shrugs. "Can't help honesty."

* * *

><p>I can't help honesty either. I hate my brother and Magnus. Explain how they both manage to throw temper tantrums about not wanting to shop and weasel their way out of going! No one else volunteers their company, so I am stuck riding shotgun in Jon's truck all the way to the nearest town around twenty miles out. "I don't understand how Magnus forgot food, of all things," Jace says after we've been on the road for about thirty minutes. His tone is conversational and friendly. I look over at him and see that he is looking down at the dials that control the heat. He turns the knob for the intensity of the air to full blast, and I am immediately struck with a blissfully hot wave to my hands and face. "You looked cold," he says after a moment, giving me a small smile.<p>

I give him a weak half-smile back, appreciating his attempt to be a gentleman. "I don't really know how he didn't think of food either," I say. "It's all of our faults, though. We all know how Magnus is."

"Yeah," Jace says with a laugh. He begins slowing down as we approach town and the traffic begins to thicken slightly. We stop at a red light behind a tow truck that reads _Carstairs' Towing_. "Look," he says after a moment of silent, sounding a bit more uncomfortable than he had before. I look over and see that he is looking at me, his golden pools are wide and almost pleading, "I know that we haven't really _talked_ since…since I…."Jace sighs and looks away from me and back to the road. "We haven't talked in about a year," he finally says just as the light turns green and the truck in front of us begins to move. Jace presses down on the gas and we follow closely behind, "I'm not saying that we need to, or that I even want to talk about it. I don't really want to when everything is going so well with everyone else. It wouldn't be fair to them if we didn't get along for their sakes, they care so much about us, after all."

"They put us in a truck together and sent us off to the nearest Wal-Mart without supervision," I say dryly. "I'd hardly call them caring. More like traitors."

"True," Jace says. I see him nod his head slowly in consent out of the corner of my eye and am impressed by his mature attitude. "Just hear me out for a second, though. I want you to have a good week as much as I want to have one myself, so let's try and keep the past in the past and start over."

"Starting over as in making Jon reintroduce us in the middle of the high school hallway?" I ask, finding myself more okay with the prospect because he was proposing it than anything else.

"I'm pretty sure," Jace says, "that I can stand meeting you in your brother's truck instead."

"Kind of strange, considering Jon's not here," I observe as Jace pulls into the large parking lot of the Wal-Mart.

"We define the term," Jace informs me. I am about to answer, but the words die in my throat as I realize that the entire place is packed. A groan comes out instead. There is no hope of finding a close parking space. Jace seems to realize this, because he doesn't even bother wasting Jon's gas looking for one. He simply pulls the truck to the front of the store and slows to a stop right in front of the pedestrian walking space. "Go ahead and get out," he invites me. "Wait inside for me and I'll park the truck."

"I'm not—"

"I'm aware that you're not crippled," he cuts me off, rolling his eyes almost indulgently. Almost a year apart and he could still read my mind. "I'm not calling you crippled. I'm trying to be nice. I don't want you getting sick when you can help it. So go."

"What about you?" I demand.

He smiles at me faintly and says, "I'm manly. Manly men don't get cold." I give him a stern look and his smile gets more pronounced until it's an actual grin. "Keep up the concern, Fray, and I'll be sure to milk some kind of illness when we get home and the nurse that I ask for won't be Magnus."

I shake my head and open the door. As I unbuckle my seatbelt, I turn my head and look at him with almost the same faint smile that he'd worn on his face a minute before. "You're still the biggest flirt."

"You still blush a very beautiful red," he informs me before I am able to close the door. Afterward, he takes off before I can reply. I know that Jace is just poking fun and that he's trying to make things like they were before the _incident_, as I like to call it, but that is most likely impossible. He still has that bitch of a girlfriend, Kaelie, and he was not about to in any way, shape, or form, flirt with me while he was with another girl. I'm fairly sure that was what caused us to start crumbling.

I feel the frigid wind blowing into my face, causing my hair to go _everywhere. _Tremors begin to run through my body as the cold finally gets to me. I hurry through the automatic sliding doors that seem to be permanently open because of the endless crowds that are either making their way into or out of the supermarket. I trail in behind an elderly woman with a walk to her that screams cranky. I blink in surprise. I didn't know that a _walk _could be described as cranky.

I move away from her as soon as I can, not surprised to see that she is scowling when she turns around because someone yells "Imogen!" behind me.

I move out of the hoard of people after I make it inside. I don't leave the breezeway, knowing that Jace might have troubles finding me if I do. I stand in a corner of the store maybe ten feet off from the entrance. If Jace doesn't look over, he won't be able to see me but I will be able to see him as soon as he walks in. I lean against the rough cinderblock interior, shivering slightly as the cold from the bricks permeates through my jacket and straight down my spine.

"Hello," a voice says from somewhere to my right. I glance over and see that an olive skinned guy is leaning against the wall maybe a little less than a foot away from me. I smile uncertainly at him, wondering why he was standing so closely when there was all of this space. "It seems like it would be a bit too hectic for someone as dainty as you to be shopping around here by yourself." His voice comes out as a purr, and I find myself smiling slightly, wanting to hear him speak a bit more.

"I'm not," I say. "I'm here with my…friend. We're trying to get some food. He dropped me off in the front to park."

He sweeps his dark hair off his forehead as he smiles at me almost dazzlingly. "Nice guy," he comments. "He's just your friend?"

I nod confusedly. "Yeah, just a friend, why?"

His deep brown eyes widen as he says, "Well, you seem like a nice girl, and I was wondering if I could get your number—"

"Clare?" I hear Jace's voice from in front of me. He's walking toward me quickly; his eyebrows knit together slightly as he looks in between me and the boy that I don't even know the name of.

"Yeah, Jace?" I question, looking at him with wide eyes. I feel heat coming off my face and for some strange reason, I feel as though I have been caught doing something red-handed. He makes it to us as the guy begins talking again.

"Like I was saying…Clare—"

"Clary," I correct automatically.

"_Clary,"_ he smiles at me, his eyes flashing with something that I don't quite understand. "What do you say? Can I get your number?"

I bite my lip, unsure of what to say. Sure, he's cute, but something about how he has no idea _who_ I am and is still asking me kind of makes me distrustful. Thankfully, Jace seems to have this same thought, and unlike me, he has no qualms with being rude.

"I don't think that she's interested," he says. "I don't really blame her, after all. How many women have you conned today?"

The boy flushes and snaps, "I don't know what you're talking about, asshole, but I wasn't asking you either, I was asking—"

"Someone too nice to tell you what she's really thinking," Jace informs him, grabbing my shoulder and pulling me away from the wall. He pushes me behind him and snaps, "I'll do it for her. Leave Clary alone."

"Why can't she just answer me for herself?" the guy demands angrily. "We were getting along just fine until you showed up! _What's_ your problem, anyway, dude?!"

"Right now," Jace says, looking at him disgustedly, "you. Go harass someone else; we don't have the time for it."

"Are you always this controlling?" he asked Jace heatedly. He looks at me and says, "I thought that you two weren't going out. A guy normally doesn't even control their girlfriends this much. A relationship like this isn't healthy." He smiles at me, "I'm not trying to make any moves on you, I'm just saying—"

"That you want her number so you can convince her to let you get into her pants," Jace rolls his eyes. "I don't think she's interested."

"Then let her—"

"I'm not interested!" I snap, finally fed up with listening to the bickering. If they don't shut up, I won't be liable for what I do next. "I really _don't _have time for this!" I glower at both of them and say, "If we're not back soon, Jon's going to put a search party out for the food,"

"That's her brother, in case you were wondering," Jace tells the guy pointedly. "You don't want to mess with him. When it comes to Clary, he'll stab you in the chest remorselessly."

"Fine," the guy says. He holds out a hand toward me, making it clear that he wants to shake it. "It was very nice to meet you, Clary." I reach out and grasp his hand from behind Jace. He shakes it once, wrapping his long and nimble fingers around it firmly. "My name is Raphael, by the way." He pulls on my hand, and I am nervous at first, but he only pulls it to his lips and presses a small kiss against the back of it. "It's been a pleasure, my dear."

I open my mouth, desperate for something to say, but before I can, Jace has pulled me away from Raphael, his hand clasped firmly around my own. My heart gives something between a leap and a pang as I realize that the feeling of my hand in his still feels so familiar despite how long it has been. Thankfully, he lets it go once we are inside of the actual supermarket. He looks down at me and his expression is unreadable. I am unsure of whether he is angry with me or not. "I kind of showed my ass back there," he sighs, "didn't I?"

I blink. Did Jace really say that? "No," I say quickly, not wanting him to feel bad, "you were a lifesaver back there. Thanks."

"No," Jace says firmly. "I shouldn't have butted in like that. It's not my place any—" he cuts himself off and sighs. "I've been looking for someone to yell at since last night, and I guess he was just my victim. I shouldn't have used you like that."

"What's wrong?" I question. I don't know if I am actually totally concerned; it's a part of how I feel, but I am admittedly more curious than anything.

Jace shrugs as I grab a cart that someone has left sitting in the middle of the walkway. I push it forward as he says, "It's not that big of a deal, you shouldn't bother yourself with my problems."

I roll my eyes, "If you don't want to tell me, you don't have to," I say. "I don't mind listening, if you want to talk, though."

I see Jace looking at me out of the corner of my eye and I bite my lip. I remember Izzy mentioning that he and Kaelie were fighting and I was curious about whether or not it was the reason that he was put out. "Kaelie…" he sighs, his shoulders slumping forward slightly, as if he was too tired to keep holding them up. "We pretty much ended it last night after she found out that I was coming out here while you were going to be here and I wouldn't back out. After that, she told me a few things that made me more than a little angry."

"Do you want to talk about it?" I ask him worriedly. I look over at him and see that there are a few bags under his eyes that he had either done a really good job of hiding before, or I just hadn't bothered to notice them. He just shakes his head, giving me a grateful smile.

"I'm fine, really," he says earnestly. "I'm just glad that you're giving me a second chance to be your friend. That's the most help that you could have given me."

"What can I say," I reply with a smile. "You seemed to have changed so much that I really don't mind."

* * *

><p>The drive home is in silence, but it is a companionable one. I drive, telling Jace that he can take a nap in the passenger's seat on the way back. He doesn't put up any fight at all, and soon I am speeding down the highway with a lightly snoring Jace beside me. I can't help but glance over at him for a moment. A pang of curiosity squeezes at my gut and I can't help but wonder what Kaelie said to him. I know that I shouldn't care, but I can't help it.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>To the guest that asked, no, I don't know if there will be a specific update schedule for this story, but if I figure one out, you all will be the second to know…the first being me, lol.<strong>

**To firequeen8569, this is completely different from What are Friends For, and I don't really know if Sebastian is going to play a part in this fic…a major one, anyway.**

**And to the other guest that asked, yes, this is a Clace story. I don't really write anything else for TMI.**

**School's killing me right now *sigh* and my friend has me reading a new book series. I'm already on the second one out of the three, and I'm admittedly excited. The maze runner was a-maze-ing lol. Please do not shoot me for the corny joke…. Aside from the business that keeps me from daily updates… tell me, what do you think happened between Jace and Kaelie? Why is it not okay for Jace to be up there with Clary? What happened between Jace and Clary? A lot of you seem really curious about that! I'd like to see your theories! The story shall start picking up speed after chapter three! Until then, leave your thoughts before you exit :).**


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter Three:**_

It is much too early when I wake up the next morning. I can't help it, though; I am freezing. Isabelle has taken all of the covers off me and wrapped them firmly around herself. I remember that there is a few more blankets on the top shelf of the closet, but I know that even if I can get warm again I probably won't be able to go back to sleep. I groan lowly and sit up, looking over at my friend in mild disgust as I see how blissfully warm she is. I fantasize about throwing her outside, and letting her endure the harsh weather without a blanket while I get warm, for a few moments before I finally forsake the bed. It shifts slightly beneath me and I hear her grumble slightly as I disturb her from her slumber. I contemplate swiping at the back of her head to disturb her just a little more, but finally decide against it. I, instead, grab my jacket on my way out of the door. I walk down the short hallway as I am trying to put my arms through the proper sleeves in the dark.

I hear an angry voice as I make it to the end of the hall. I peer into the living room and see Jace pacing across the floor agitatedly as he mutters something into the receiver of his cell phone. It is too dark to see his face, but from the rigidity of his outline, I can tell that he is pretty unhappy with the person on the other line. "No," I hear him snap, his voice a bit clearer as he turns to pace toward me. "I don't believe a word that you're saying right now. You're a liar. You were one back then and you're one now! I should have known that even _drunk_ that I didn't do any of that because I…." he trails off as he spots me. His eyes widen slightly and then narrow as I hear unintelligible yelling from the phone. "I don't care what you say," he barks into the receiver. "You made your choice and I have too. I'm not talking to you right now, I've got to go." Without another word, he pulls the phone from his ear and presses the pad of his thumb against the screen, cutting off the yelling immediately.

I look away from him and walk into the room. I force my eyes to rest on anything but Jace. He is obviously irritated, and I don't want to push it any further by asking stupid questions…like who he was talking to. He grabs the end of his bed and folds it once before pushing it up and inside of the couch. It retracts easily and I watch him work in silence out of the corner of my eye. He looks back over at me once there is sitting space and smiles so weakly that he has to know that I can see through it. "You're up early," he observes.

"Not willingly," I assure him, taking the seat that he gestures to on the other side of the couch. I snatch the blanket out of the middle and throw it over myself. I force back a shiver and desperately try to conserve my body heat. "Isabelle stole all of the covers and left me _freezing_."

"We could cuddle up for warmth," Jace says, grinning at me slyly as he wiggles his eyebrows suggestively. After a moment his expression falters and goes back to the forced smile that it had been before. "That was Kaelie on the phone before," he says to me after a moment. "I can tell that you're curious."

I flush slightly, not wanting to admit that he is right, but I know that I don't have much of a choice. "Sorry," I say. "It isn't any of my business and—"

Jace rolls his eyes. "Of all people," he says, "you're the last person who should be saying that." He shrugs, "Besides, I'm not worried about it. We're done, and she was calling back, saying that everything that she said two nights ago was a lie."

"You don't believe her?" I question, wrapping my arms around my knees under the blankets.

"I don't know when I stopped believing the things that came out of her mouth," Jace admitted. "I'm pretty sure the first truthful thing that came out was what she told me that night." He gives me a genuine small smile. "It gives me all of my self-respect back."

"I'm happy for you," I say. I notice how Jace refuses to tell me exactly what she said two night ago. Clearly he doesn't want me to know, but part of me wants to figure it out. I push the ridiculous notion out of my head as I sit back in my seat and yawn more loudly than I had intended.

"I think that you're still tired," Jace chuckles. "Why don't you go back to sleep?"

"I already surrendered the bed to Isabelle," I say. "Have you ever tried to wrestle your way back into her bed after you get back out?" I question. "It's impossible."

"Girls rarely allow me to leave the bed," he informs me with a sly wink. "I can honestly say that I haven't tried to get into a bed with her at all, though."

I nod my head, unsurprised by the information. Jace and Izzy have been friends for as long as I can remember, and she'd told me the day that we first announced that we were going out that I was a brave girl and then shuddered. I snort at the thought and nod my head, "I believe it."

"I can pull my bed back out," he offers, "or you can lie on the couch," he gestures from across his lap to mine. "I don't mind moving."

"I just woke up," I tell him. "I'm fine, though, Jace. I just need to become _more_ awake…it takes a few minutes."

"You don't drink coffee anymore?" he asks me. I see him looking at me from the corner of my eye and realize that he is genuinely curious.

"I do," I say. "There just isn't any here. I didn't think to pick any up."

"We can make a run," he offers. "I think there's a coffee shop—"

"Twenty miles away," I say with a smile. I shake my head. "You're such a sweetheart, but I'm not getting you to go into town with me this early in the morning for a cup of coffee."

"I want to," he insists. "And I am _not_ a sweetheart. I am manly, and manly men are not called _sweet_." I look over at him and see that he is trying to look at me with a serious face, but the corners of his mouth are twitching. "So, are you in or not?"

"No," I say. "I don't want to drive right now."

"You're so stubborn!" Jace exclaims. "Why can't you let me do something nice for you?"

"No fighting!" I hear a sharp voice say from behind us. I turn around so quickly that I get whiplash. I grab my neck and curse quietly as I glare at Magnus Bane. He is looking at us as though he is unsure of whether to smirk or glare. At the moment he is doing a strange mixture of both expressions and it looks as though he has to go to the bathroom really badly. "Peaceful week, remember? My magnificent self needs time to relax."

"We aren't fighting," Jace defends. "Who said that you were magnificent?"

"Alexander," Magnus says without missing a beat before he disappears behind the second door on the wall, the bathroom.

"Leave me out of it!" I hear Alec's protesting voice groan from the bedroom. He appears a moment later, looking disheveled, and grumpy. His hair is sticking out everywhere except on the right side of his face, which is where I am betting he slept last night, and his pajama clothes are rumpled and wrinkled, as though he tossed and turned most of the night.

"Something wrong, _Alexander?" _Jace asks him mockingly. He bats his eyes at him as he makes as kissing face at him. Alec scowls at his friend and grabs the first thing in arm's reach—an empty cup—and lobs it at his head. Jace narrowly misses the projectile, hastily ducking behind the safety of the back of the couch before it can slam against his face, which is exactly where it would have struck thanks to Alec's amazing aim.

"What were you two arguing about anyway?" he demanded, his voice slightly rough with sleep. "It's the reason that I'm up after all."

"I was going to go and get her some coffee," Jace explains, rolling his eyes at me. "She's tired and can't go back to sleep and coffee helps wake her up. She doesn't want me to, because she thinks that it'll be imposing on my kindness, or some stupid thing like that."

"It isn't stupid," I defend. "I don't want you driving twenty miles for a cup of coffee—"

"Quiet!" Magnus says, stepping out of the bathroom, looking a bit more like his normal fabulous self than before. His hair was spiked, and his eyes held those strange cat contacts that he began wearing a couple of years ago. The only thing that is missing from his signature look is glitter. "You're bickering like a married couple all over again and it's giving me a headache and I don't get headaches!" Silence echoes through the room for a few moments before what he says hits me. After that, I feel my cheeks start flushing slightly and I look down at the floor behind the couch, unable to take anyone's gaze, let alone my accuser's. "Furthermore," Magnus announces after a moment, sounding like his usual cheerful self all over again, "I'm treating everyone to breakfast this morning at the nearest diner because of the whole mishap with food from yesterday, so Clary doesn't even need coffee."

"Good," Jace says, bouncing back as quickly as ever. "Means that I don't have to pay."

Magnus rolls his eyes just as another voice resounded from down the hallway. "Can't a guy actually sleep around here, or is the action considered illegal?"

I smile sheepishly at Jon as my brother shuffles through the door, looking as though he'd just stuck his hand in a light socket. Other than the fact that he still seemed to be half asleep, anyway. "It is when something this gorgeous is awake," Jace says seriously as he gestures to himself. "I need people up to admire me or else this was all for nothing."

Jon grimaces at his friend and says, "No thanks, I was having a wonderful dream before I was woken up about something that I would much rather admire, actually—"

"If you don't shut up," I warn him, "you're going to have to explain to mom and dad why their daughter has to go to an asylum."

"I'm sure that they won't mind that much," Jon says with a wave of his hand. "At least they'll always know where you are." He looks as though he is about to continue with his description, so I pull out the big guns.

"You sure about that?" I question, "If dad has to pay anything for me to be there, he'll be pretty upset with you."

Jon grimaces at me and bites his lower lip as he thinks this over. I roll my eyes and say, "I'm going to go and get ready. I'll tell Izzy that we're leaving soon too."

I push myself off the couch and walk past Jon just as he asks, "Wait, where are we going?"

* * *

><p>We manage to ride to the diner in two cars to save on gas, maybe thirty minutes later. Everyone is bundled up with scarves, hats, coats, and gloves as we walk inside. I smile at a tall waitress with long brown hair, gray blue eyes and pale skin. She smiles back as she gestures for us to follow her to the large semicircular booth in the back of the restaurant. We all pile in and she introduces herself as Tessa Gray. Once we have our orders placed, she walks off leaving us in our still varying states of drowsiness.<p>

"Are we all in agreement that being awake at any time before twelve o'clock is insane while we're on break?" Jon asks the group, looking around sleepily.

"This is their fault," Magnus grumbles, casting Jace and me a dark look before turning away as though he is about to start pouting. "I wouldn't even be awake right now if it wasn't for them."

"You'll be okay," I say as Tessa walks over, carrying a tray-full of coffees. She hands one to Isabelle, who is on my right, and then to Jon, who is sitting to my left. I get mine next and take a deep swallow, ignoring the scalding on my tongue. It feels heavenly. "I'm trying to enjoy this and I can't 'cause you're whining like a little girl."

"At least I look more fabulous than you," Magnus quips, gesturing to his sparkly jacket. "

Simon, like usual, has my back. "You look like a gay Sonic the Hedgehog," he says from his spot on the other side of Isabelle. "And you dress like the child catcher from Chitty-Chitty Bang-Bang."

The entire group snorts other than Magnus, who gives him a look of utter annoyance. "And you look like a rat, but no one comments on that, Lewis."

Simon rolls his eyes, and doesn't point out that Jace used to call him that quite frequently. "So, are these going to be new nicknames, or something?"

"In that case," Jace says, leaning forward, seeming genuinely interested in the conversation, "I shall be Baron Hotshaft Von Hugenstein." The funniest thing might have been the look of complete sincerity on his face. If he would have been anyone but Jace Herondale I would have thought that he was serious. Everyone is silent for a moment, trying to actually understand what he said, and as soon as it settles in, everyone at the table, bursts out in small snorts and giggles.

"You're an idiot," Isabelle says to him, rolling her eyes and still managing to show an almost sisterly affecting as she does so.

"And you're Mrs. Rat-Face," Jace observes with a straight face. I look back over at Isabelle and Simon both so quickly that I get whiplash. Both of them are flushing violently, their cheeks turning an interesting shade of red that was so intense that it was hard to tell that they had any other color in their skin. Simon's lips twitched after a moment, though and he smiles. I look down and see their fingers intertwined. I look away after a moment, and shake my head. Sometimes I forget that they were going out, they are so discrete about it. Isabelle isn't subtle about anything, so it is nice of her to do it for Simon.

"I am going to be Supreme Ruler of the world one day," Jon shrugs. "I'll settle for your majesty."

We all snort lowly and I roll my eyes. "Hell's still warm, so that'll never happen," I hear Alec inform him from across the table. He pats Jon on the arm in mock support before he turns back to his coffee. "I'm sorry."

Everyone was silent for a moment after that. Then I see Isabelle gasp lightly from beside me. I look over at her sharply, concerned that something was wrong, and see that she is looking past me and out of the window. I follow her line of sight, and past a clear poster that is advertising for different pancakes, I see white dots floating from the sky.

"So much for having breakfast right now," Magnus sighs. "If you all want to go out for that walk, we need to go before it gets too cold and the snow gets too bad." He smirks over at Izzy and I. "Go on, little children and walk out in the snow, I'll take care of the bill and then we can leave."

Normally, I would have attempted to smack the condescending tone out of his voice, but at the moment, I'm not really paying any attention to him. Izzy shoves Simon out of the seat and jumps up next. She turns around and looks at me expectantly. I look up at her for a moment before smiling and nodding in consent, pulling myself out of the booth next. Once the three of us are on our feet, Isabelle eagerly grabs Simon's hand and pulls him toward the exit so fast that I can imagine his shoulder screaming in pain. I look back at the others, who are all getting up more slowly. Jace and Jon both look at me and we share an amused eye-roll before I turn around and walk toward the door, which Izzy and Simon have already exited, much more slowly.

The cold hits me and I have to fight back a shiver. I cross my arms over my chest and rub my hands along my forearms as I try and create a little friction for heat. I am mostly unsuccessful and as soon as the large snowflakes catch my attention, I can't really say that I care too much. I grin as one touches down on my cheek and begins to melt, sending a sharp coldness through my face. I giggle lowly and wipe it away before I step further out in the parking lot. Isabelle and Simon are holding hands in the middle of the parking lot, spinning around in circles and laughing like idiots, oblivious to the bystanders who were beginning to show up. I hear Izzy shriek with delight as Simon spins her around more quickly and her feet lift off the ground slightly.

"Aren't they just _adorable?!_" I hear a voice coo sarcastically in my ear. I smile, recognizing the voice and tone immediately.

"It is cute, Jace," I say. "Look how happy they are."

"I know," he says, his voice earnest. "Can't help but remember when we used to be that way."

"Yeah," I say. I am too surprised by how normal he sounds as he comments on it, almost as though thinking about it is something that he does normally. I push the thought aside with a shake of my head. The stupid wishful thought is going to get me absolutely nowhere. "Those were really good times."

"Come here," he says suddenly. He grabs my hand and pulls me forward. I look up at him worriedly, unsure of what he's doing. He smiles down at me and says, "We can still have those now. We _are_ friends, right?"

I barely have time to nod slowly before Jace has me spinning around like Isabelle. The feeling is thrilling and dizzying, just like being around Jace is. I close my eyes as I hear him laugh loudly, a free sound that I love so much.

* * *

><p>The snow is falling steadily by the time we get back to the cabin, and has coated the ground in maybe an inch or so of the fluffy white blanket. I step out of Isabelle's car as soon as the wind picks up. The air is brisk and tears through me like knives, making me shiver uncontrollably. I wrap my arms around myself again and try to suppress the shudders that are wracking through my body. Surprisingly, I am mostly successful. "Let's go!" I hear Jon shout from the back of Magnus' sports car. He is looking at me and Isabelle, who are both talking our time getting out of her Porsche. That is the first time that I realize that Simon has already forsaken us for the other group. I glare at him slightly and he waves us over, his expression one of impatience that I know that he is only putting on so he will not be alienated from the rest of the guys,<p>

"I think we might have lost your boyfriend to the dark side," I tell Isabelle loudly as we walk toward them.

Izzy smirks at me and says, "We'll see about that," too quietly for the others to hear. By the time that we get to them, she is practically strutting and Simon is visibly trying to not drool. "Come on," she says. It is almost like her voice was laced with magic that will only work on Simon. She grabbed his hand and started dragging him to the back before anyone could say anything else.

Everyone else was silent, just staring around at one another as we try to figure out why Isabelle is so weird. Like usual, we shake off the question after a few seconds. I turn to the rest of the group and say, "We going to go?"

Magnus walks over and offers me his arm, as though he is in the mid eighteen hundreds or so and I am a Victorian woman who he is courting. The idea is so ludicrous that I snort and pat his bedazzled bicep affectionately. "Sorry, Mags," I say shaking my head, "I can't do this. I'm afraid that Alec will be too jealous of your intentions."

Magnus looks over at Alec who is staring at us with an almost bored expression. "Yes, my dear Clarissa," Magnus says solemnly, "I can feel the rage boiling off him. He's going to explode any minute if we continue our scandalous affair."

"It would be best if you went and made it better with him," I say, glancing over at Alec, holding back a snort as I realize that he is still staring at us with a straight face. "I wouldn't want him to challenge me for your affections."

By this time, our entire group is behind the cabin and almost halfway to the tree line. Izzy and Simon are already three quarters of the way there. Magnus stops in his tracks, causing Jace, who is walking beside Jon behind us to slam into him. The blond stumbles backward, his eyes widened and mouth gaping slightly, but Magnus seems barely fazed as he starts cackling the strangest laugh I've ever heard come out of him. "Nice one, Clary," he congratulates me, a couple of snorts coming out here and there as he moves to loop his arm through Alec's instead of mine. "That'd be one hell of a sight to see."

"Is Magnus talking about me being a nude model again?" Jace asks cockily, fully recovered from his shock that he'd been in moments before.

"No," I reply. "We were talking about how cute you and Jon look together."

I have no idea what I wanted to happen, but I don't think I got the desired effect. Jace walks forward and says, "I bet I'd look better with you, though," and loops an arm through mine. I blush, but I know that he is only teasing. Jonathan moves to Jace's far side and looks at us in mock disgust. I do see him roll his eyes, however, and that is completely genuine.

"I will have you know that I can make anybody look good," he informs us.

A cold wind zips through the air and cuts through my jacket and into my skin. I subconsciously burrow closer to Jace, trying to take some of his unimaginable amount of heat. If Jace is uncomfortable by my proximity he does not show it. I look forward, not moving my cheek off Jace's arm, and see that Izzy and Simon are waiting by the edge of the forest for us, their figures getting steadily larger as we get closer with each passing step.

I cannot fight back the tremor that goes through my body as the next burst of wind shoots through the air. Jace must feel me against him. He pulls both him and me to a stop when we are only ten feet away from Izzy and Simon. "I'm sor-" I begin to apologize.

"Nothing to be sorry for," Jace says as he pulls the zipper of the leather jacket that he has on down. He has a black sweater beneath it, but I have a feeling that he can feel the cold even as he is pulling down the piece of metal. "Don't worry," he says, catching the way that I am looking at his descending hand. "I'm not stripping completely for you." He pulls the jacket from his shoulders and before I can say anything he has brought it behind me and wrapped the black leather around me. I immediately feel much warmer, and want nothing more than to jus thank him and remain as warm as I am.

"Jace," I say, going to pull the jacket off. "I can't take this, you're going to freeze."

"Don't take it off," Jace says, pulling it back to where he'd had it before I'd began shrugging it off my shoulders. He doesn't let go of the fabric either. He looks at me pointedly and says. "Put your arms inside."

"But-"

"I'm a manly man, Clary," he assures me with a smile. "Manly men don't get cold. You, on the other hand are about to freeze and you're not about to get sick if I can help it."

"What if you get sick?" I ask, my voice coming out as only a mumble.

Jace grins at this, knowing that my resolve is about to pathetically crumple. "I'm not going to get sick either." His eyes widen and he looks at me with something resembling a puppy-dog's face. "Please," he says quietly. "For me?"

I groan quietly, muttering about unfairness under my breath as I put my arms through the sleeves and stand in front of him, feeling like a child. His hands are still on the edges of the jacket keeping it closed. He leans forward slightly, his eyes trailing to the bottom of the jacket where the he fumbles with the zipper for a moment before making a victorious sound in the back of his throat and pulling the zipper all the way up until the jacket was completely closed, surrounding me in warmth and a minty smell that I have always associated with Jace.

"Thanks," I mumble, feeling embarrassed.

"It's no big deal," he assures me, taking my arm yet again and turning me back around toward the others. They are all watching us in what appears to be amusement. I scowl at them as Jace leads me forward. "Besides," he says casually while we are still too far away to be heard by anyone else, "it looks great on you."

* * *

><p><strong>This chapter was supposed to be longer, but I have the flu right now and I really don't feel so good. Surprisingly, writing and trying to not cough a lung out don't go together…who knew? Anyway! I hope you liked it, and absolutely no one is allowed to say that I didn't put enough ClaryJace moments in here. It was freaking loaded. If the snow is starting now…can anyone guess what is most likely going to happen next chapter? You know, other than people talking and everything. Is there anything that you would like to see more of? Less of? Anything in the plot that you want to see emphasized? Or anything that you would like to happen later on in the story that you think would make it more interesting/better? Lemme know! 'Cause you know your thoughts make my day!**

**Oh! And lastly, favorite TMI quote from Simon. Mine was already displayed in this chapter. I'm trying to put in some good ones into the story.**


	4. Chapter 4

We have been walking for maybe an hour, though I swear it feels like longer. I have switched walking partners like I am playing some kind of square dance and it is only because my feet are going through varying levels of numbness at any given minute. I am walking beside Jonathan and Isabelle at the moment. Simon, Alec, and Magnus are maybe five feet ahead, and Jace is leading the way with some sort of walking stick that he keeps banging against trees when he feels that things are getting too quiet. So mature.

My feet are currently in the stage of numbness that comes before they just die and fall off. Hopefully it won't be as painful as it sounds. Maybe I'm being a tad dramatic, but I honestly can't feel them and it's kind of scary. Jace bangs the base of a thin tree with long and willowy branches that has accumulated a lot of snow on its limbs. The vibration from the blow reverberates up the trunk and to the limbs at the same time that an icy wind tears through the wood. Before I know it, I am shivering because I have snow on my head and the temperature has dropped ten degrees from a freaking arctic draft. I hear Izzy beside me shrieking in defiance at Jace's blatant stupidity, and as much as I want to murder him, I am too cold to shout.

I see Jace turn and look at Izzy and I with wide eyes. I look away from the blond for a moment and realize that we are the only two that got any snow on us. All of the guys are safe. Even Jonathan is safe from harm. For some reason this makes me more angry than the snow does. I turn back to Jace and find that my anger is beginning to melt almost immediately. His eyes are wide and he is looking at both of us with nothing but concern.

"Oh my God," he says, dropping the stick. "I am such an idiot!"

I just now realize that everyone else has been silent, apparently waiting to see what is going to happen on baited breath. The spell has apparently broken and Magnus is the first person to burst out in a fit of laughter. It is luck that he is by a tree because I am sure that if he hadn't had one for support, he would have sank into the snow. Jonathan is next, carefully backing away from Izzy and I before he begins chuckling nervously. Alec has a smile on his face, though he looks as though he is too frightened of Isabelle to actually laugh. Simon and Jace are the only two that aren't being complete jerks. Simon rushes back to Izzy and began brushing the snow off her hair as she stands there, clearly too shocked for movement. That snaps me out of my shock and I begin to wipe the snow out of my hair. I am admittedly jealous that Isabelle has someone to do it for her, but I understand that girlfriends come before best friends.

"Let me, Clare," I hear Jace say from right in front of me. I look away from Isabelle and Simon and see that Jace is standing in front of me worriedly. His hands are stretched out, only centimeters from me, but he stops as though there is an invisible force field between us. I realize that he won't without my permission. I slowly stop batting myself off, not sure why and let him take over.

His hands gently brush snow away from my shoulder, arms, and head. "I am so sorry," he says to me quietly. I've never seen his golden eyes so sincere. "What was the point of me giving you my jacket if I was just going to dump snow all over you?"

"It's okay," I assure him, placing my hand on his shoulder comfortingly. "It's not that big of a deal."

He slowly stops brushing me off and looks down at where I am touching him. I can feel his muscles tense beneath my fingertips and my mouth dries slightly at the thought. _Is he still as strong as he was when we were dating?_ The thought makes me blush and I banish it from my head. I quickly look at the ground and see Jace's feet shuffle before he takes a step back. I look back up and see that the others are still in varying states of recovery from their laughing fits.

"Come on, you assholes," Jace said, though his voice is good natured. "I think that it's time to get back to the cabin. Clary feels like she's an ice cube."

"She's reflecting the status of her heart," Jon informs him with a roll of his eyes. "Duh, dude."

I roll my eyes and reach down, grabbing a handful of the snow that has accumulated on the ground. "You little-!"

"No, Clare!" Jace shouts, grabbing my wrist and holding back so I can't lob the sloppily made snowball and Jonathan.

"Get out of my way, Herondale!" I snap at him.

"You're already cold," he tells me. "If you throw that, Jon's going to retaliate, and let's face it: out of the two of you, who's more athletic?"

I glare up at him, hating that I know that he's right. "Fine," I say, dropping the snow from my hand. He slowly releases my wrist. I realize then that there is a wicked glint to his eyes that wasn't there a moment before. I am admittedly nervous that I am about to be subject to his plans, but he winks at me and all my fears are alleviated. He ducks down quickly and grabs a wad of snow from the ground, before I can really see what is going on, he has turned around and lobbed it right at the side of Jon's head. It hits its mark perfectly and my brother stumbles sideways inhaling sharply and exhaling the loudest and largest slew of swearwords that I'd ever heard.

I look at Jace, my mouth gaping, and Jace does the smartest thing I've seen him do in a while. He winks at me again, mouths _you're welcome_, and runs down the path toward the house as fast as he can, disappearing from my eyesight in just over a second. Jonathan stands still for a moment longer, trying to figure out what has happened and shake the remaining snow out of his ear. He scowls in the direction that Jace took off in. "HERONDALE!" he shouts at the top of his lungs before he runs after Jace, going as fast as, if not faster than, the golden boy himself.

I look back at the others, who are all looking at the now empty path ahead of us. "What is wrong with them?" Simon asks, voicing everyone's thoughts.

"I think it's a blond thing," Izzy says with a shrug. "It's going to their heads."

Everyone snorts at the joke and Magnus says, "Let's go, I have the Grinch waiting for us when we get back."

**~J~J~J~J~J~J~**

I can hear Jonathan shouting my surname even from the distance that I have gained. The wind that has picked up is pretty harsh and the snow is getting impossibly heavier, so I can't really see all that well. As much as I don't really want to slow down and risk Jon's wrath, I'm going to have to. I can still see the path ahead of me, but everything is so white that I find myself squinting. Snow is blowing into my face and I bring my arm up to shield my eyes for a better view of my surroundings. I'm grateful that the trail is more straightforward than the winding trail that leads to the cabin from the road. I am so busy concentrating on my task, that I am caught by surprise by the hand that shoves me on the back. I stumble forward and am unable to catch myself before I fall face first into the snow.

"You okay?" Jon's voice hits my ear from above me. I manage to peel myself off the snow and turn around to look at him. He is frowning down at me concernedly. "Didn't mean to push you that hard."

"It's fine," I say, taking his proffered hand and pulling myself to my feet. "Snow's getting pretty bad," I comment, looking around wood. White flakes are falling everywhere, and it makes me feel as though I am claustrophobic. "You think that it's going to let up anytime soon?"

"Probably not," Jon sighed. "We were stupid to come out here in this."

"Where are the others?" I question with a frown, suddenly remembering them as I remember that Clary has my jacket.

"Walking toward the house," Jon says. "It'll take them a while to cover the distance we just did."

As he was speaking a frigid wind tore through the small clearing, piercing me down to my very bone. Before I could even really shiver, I hear something that sounds a lot like wood cracking and splitting, Jon swearing profusely and shouting, "Jace, run!" All I can see is white, but I still try and heed his warning, putting one foot in front of the other. I am too late though. I hear a loud ear-piercing snap and then all I can really register is pain.

_**~C~C~C~C~C~C~**_

We are all slowly walking back toward the house, fighting against the terrible snow and laughing at the idiocy of Jace and Jon when a loud cracking sound echoes through the forest over the howling wind. Then I swear I can hear the sound of someone shouting in pain. Everyone pauses at the same time. We all look around at each other concernedly, wanting to make sure that we all heard what we thought that we heard and hoping that someone would be able to tell us that we hadn't. No such luck, sadly.

"Come on," Alec says, voicing my thoughts. "We need to find Jace and Jonathan."

* * *

><p><strong>Hello! Look, it's a quick update! It may be short, but at least it's here! :) Don't worry; the next one should be normal length again. I guess you all hate me for the cliffhanger, but on the bright side…I gave you a little of Jace's POV. Huh? No? Well, at least I tried. And as for all of the well-wishers. Thank you all so much for hoping that I get better. It means the world to me. I am beginning to feel better, which is why I have this to present!<strong>

**So! Can anyone tell me what has happened to Jace? And for the reviewer that wanted Camille in the story…there is honestly no way to get her in now, but if I come up with something, I'll try my best to, I promise! Leave your thoughts on the way out? You know they mean the world to me!**


	5. Chapter 5

It only takes us ten minutes or so of fighting against the howling winds to find the two boys. Well, I see Jonathan, actually. He is on his knees, hunched over what I can vaguely tell is a fallen tree. His back is too us and, thanks to the loudness of the wind, he can't hear us approaching. I rush forward, forsaking the rest of the group as I run to see what's wrong with my big brother. "Jon!" I cry when I'm maybe five feet from him.

He tenses and turns around in time to see me jog the rest of the way over. His eyes are wide and weary, and his expression is tight with worry. "Thank God you guys are here," he says.

"What's wrong?" I demand. Even as I speak, Jon moves and our problems become very evident. Jace is sprawled out in the snow, clearly out cold. It almost seemed as though he was just sleeping, but then I saw the small puddle of crimson that is pooling around the outside of his left thigh. "What happened?" I demand hoarsely, kneeling beside Jace. I want to touch him to inspect the wounds, but I am unsure of what I am supposed to do. My hands just hover centimeters over him uselessly, as if they will be able to magically heal him from a distance.

"Tree fell," Jon whispered. "He didn't see it and I didn't notice until it was too late. I jumped after him, and managed to push him away from the trunk, but a huge limb still sliced his leg and there was a stump under the snow that I didn't see until it was too late. Jace's head hit it when we went down and knocked him out cold. I haven't been able to get him to wake up since."

I finally allow my hand to rest on his forehead and I wince. "He's freezing," I say. I turn around and look over at the others who are all crowded behind us. "We need to get him back to the cabin at the very least. There's no way that being out here can be very good for him."

Alec moves forward, a look of forced calm on his face as he moves. "I'll help Jon," he says. He looks at me with his bright blue eyes and I can tell that he's as scared as I feel. "Why don't you go back there and keep Magnus company? You know how much of a big baby he is."

I nod and that is when I realize that I am shaking. I feel a hand on my shoulder and when I look up, I see Jon. He grabs me under my arms and pulls me to my feet like a child. I turn around to face him numbly and he cups my face. "It's okay," he says quietly. "Calm down, Clary. He's going to be okay. We're going to go back and watch the Grinch and he'll probably be able to cook for us in a few hours while we're on another movie."

I inhale deeply and hold in the air for a moment as I look up at my brother, not allowing myself to look anywhere else. Then I exhale and nod, feeling a little more in control of the entire situation than I had a moment ago. "Let's get him back," I say.

Jon lets me go and turns to Jace as I turn around and walk to the others, not allowing myself to look at the mess that we were in. Magnus is looking over my shoulder at what is going on. "Tsk, tsk," he shakes his head and frowns. "He's moving a little, Clare, he should be okay."

I turn around at his words. Magnus is right. As Jon and Alec move him, they have to move his hurt leg, and even unconscious I imagine it still hurts a lot. He is jerking around weakly. "That's something at least," I say, sighing in relief. I look back at the others, and I see that they are no longer looking at the struggling pair and unconscious blond…they are looking at me. I have a feeling that I know why. I don't like Jace. I'm resentful for how embarrassingly badly our relationship ended the year before. Why am I freaking out so badly?

"Let's go before they get too far ahead; the snow's getting pretty bad," Isabelle says. She walks forward and wraps a protective arm around my shoulder. I am glad that she doesn't ask any questions mostly because I don't know if I can even answer them.

* * *

><p>It takes what feels like forever to get to the cabin again. Jon and Alec have to be very careful as they carry Jace because of his injured leg that is dragging along behind him. Every time that it hit a root, stump, or log that was covered up by snow, we all stopped so one of us could make sure that it wasn't bleeding any worse than it had been before. It was the most painstaking process that I'd done in years.<p>

He becomes semi lucid when we are five minutes or so from breaking the tree line. The low groan that he makes from the pain of hitting yet another covered stump was just audible over the howling wind. I am with Magnus, Isabelle, and Simon behind the three boys by about five feet and freeze when I hear him. I see Magnus out of the corner of my eye. He is looking at the back of Jace's bowed head as though he is making sure that he heard him correctly. "Guys!" Jon says, his voice rising slightly in excitement. "I think Herondale's awake!"

I hear Jace mumble something, but he is so quiet that the frigid wind carries away any meaning to the sound. "Sorry, man," Jon says, looking down at him guiltily. "How's your leg?"

More unintelligible muttering.

"I bet it does," Jon nods in understanding.

Alec turns his head, an uncharacteristically large grin on his face. "He says he has a bad headache and his leg hurts like a bitch."

Normally this wouldn't be something to smile at, but at the moment Alec is grinning at the fact that Jace is lucid at all. He is responding. I find myself smiling as well. He's going to be okay! I don't really care that I don't know why I'm elated. The elation is enough to ensure that I'm still happy. Despite the fact that I can tell that the rest of us want to walk even more quickly toward the house because we are so ecstatic, we move at the same slow and careful pace that we have been trekking since we started.

My heart leaps at the sight of the cabin a few minutes later and I sigh in relief. I rush past everyone, casting a glace back to Jace, who's head is drooped slightly, but he is still obviously awake. The snow makes it impossible to run, but I manage to pull off an awkward fast-walk. As soon as I make it to the door, I fling it open and step inside, carefully assessing the floor. There's no need for them to get Jace all the way inside for him to die from head trauma because of a stray shoe. After I deem everything to be clear from the doorway to the couch, I move safely out of the walkway and turn around in time to see Jon awkwardly shuffle in sideways as he clutches on to Jace; Alec comes in last and they are all breathing heavily. They quickly head toward the couch, gently depositing Jace on the cushions.

"What now?" Simon asks worriedly as the rest of the group troops through the door.

"I'll tell you what," Magnus sniffs. "Get something on his leg. I know it's bad that he's bleeding and all, but that couch is brand new!"

"Have I ever told you how loved you make me feel?" Jace asks, his voice is tight, but nothing about his tone suggests any hostility. "If it means that much to you, I'll hobble off and bleed out in the snow!"

"Nonsense," Magnus waves him off, as if he is being ridiculous. "We just saved you from the snow."

I hear Jace groan, and while he is replying, I pull his jacket off and then my own. I take my jacket and walk forward. "Shut up!" I snap at Magnus, who is snapping back at whatever Jace had told him. "I've got a solution for this." I place my hand on Jace's leg and look up at him questioningly. He is looking at me already; his golden eyes are trained on my face with rapt attention. He nods once in consent and I lift his leg slowly, not wanting to hurt him. He groans anyway, but the sound is merely a stifled whimper compared to what he must have sounded like when the tree fell for me to have heard him past the storm. "I'm sorry," I tell him quietly as I set his leg back down on the couch.

"It didn't hurt that bad," he says after taking a deep breath and exhaling it slowly. He closes his eyes and leans his head back on the armrest of the couch. "At least Magnus' precious furniture is safe."

"That's the spirit, Herondale," Magnus says, striding up. The smile on his face is supposed to be a reassuring one, but it is too strained to make me feel any better, and I'm not sure what effect that it is having on Jace. The blond in question opens his eyes to look up at his sparkling friend. "Though, I'm sure that red might have given the sofa more character."

"I think that only works when it's your own blood," Jace says after a moment. "Though if the blood were mine, there's no telling how much better it would have looked."

I roll my eyes and shake my head, not willing to listen to the pure stupidity that was spewing out of his mouth like utter word vomit. Jon, who'd went out of the living room along with Alec, into his room to get out of his bloody clothes and into some clean ones, walks back up slowly. He has an uncomfortable look on his face, as though he is about to do something that he is going to have to live with for the rest of his life. This is when I choose to remember that Jonathan is squeamish. Personally, I am trying to figure out how he has made it so far without passing out from so much blood.

"Jace," he says; his voice is unsteady. "We're going to have to check that cut out on your leg."

"With the way that you sound," Jace replies, "I think I'd rather take my chances with you leaving it alone."

I feel Isabelle poke me in between my shoulder blades and I arch my back slightly at the contact, wincing. "Clary," she says. "You need to do this."

"I need to do what?" I demand as I whirl around and face her.

"Check his cut," she replies. Her face is completely serious, and I am waiting on her to crack a smile because there's no way that she's actually genuine.

"Why would I do that?" I demand weakly.

"You took first aid last semester!" Isabelle exclaims. "Don't you remember?"

"Yeah," I reply with a nod of my head. "I took it because Sebastian Verlac was teaching the class, don't you remember that? Do you really think that I was paying that close attention to what he was saying?"

"You guys do realize that we're still here, right?" Jace's voice comes from the couch. He sounds weak, exasperated, and it shakes slightly. I don't know if it's because of exhaustion or something else.

"No," I reply. "It completely skipped my mind. Where would I be without you, Jace?"

"We don't need you to perform surgery on him," Jonathan says; his tone was pleading. "We just need you to look at it so…so that—"

"You want me to look at it and tell you whether or not he's going to be okay that way you don't have to look at it and lose the coffee that you had this morning," I cut him off abruptly. "If you don't want to see anymore blood, go ahead and run back into your room."

Jon grimaces at me, and I can tell that he feels more guilty than he knows how to convey. I feel bad for cutting him off so abruptly.

"There's no need to really worry about it," I tell him with a sigh after a moment of contemplation. "I know that you can't stand the sight of blood. The fact that you helped get him here was kind enough of you."

"I'm still here!" Jace cries out weakly. "You're making me sound like I have some kind of disgusting disease, or something."

I turn around and give him a sharp and pointed look. He seems to take that as a good enough warning, because he slowly sinks back into the couch and closes his eyes. I look at Jon again and see that he's looking between Jace and I with something that looks like a grimace and a smile. "Go ahead to your room," I tell him. "Take Lewis with you because I know he has an aversion to blood."

Simon grimaces slightly and nods, almost rushing out of the room. Jon walks out after him, looking a little more guilty about needing to go. I look up at Magnus and Isabelle, who are the only two that are left. "Alright," I say, putting my hands on my hips. "I'm going to actually need to be able to look at his leg."

Magnus and Isabelle both look at me blankly; only Jace seems to realize what I mean by this as soon as I speak. "If you want me to take my clothes off," he says. "All you have to do is ask."

I roll my eyes but otherwise, I don't reply, knowing that I'm only wasting my breath if I do. Talking to him only seems to make situations worse. I look over at Magnus instead. "I'm going to need you to hold him down a little, okay? Getting his pants off is going to hurt."

Magnus nods, his face uncharacteristically serious. "No problem, Clare." He walks toward the couch and leans over Jace, placing one hand over each of his arms.

"This is about the most awkward positions that I've ever been in," Jace says casually. Thankfully, he doesn't protest or try and swat Magnus away from him. I look over at Isabelle and she is already looking at me. Admittedly, this is going to sound childish, but we are having a glaring contest over who is going to have to undo Jace's pants. That feels a little too intimate and awkward for my liking, but since Izzy already has a boyfriend she doesn't want to do it either.

"What are you guys waiting for?" Jace demands. He attempts to shift to look around Magnus, but when he does, his leg jolts and he groans quietly and lies back down.

"Fine!" I snap quietly at Izzy. I march forward with my face the same color as my hair. I make it to the couch and place one knee on the cushion beside his hip as I place my hands on the button of his jeans. I try my best not to notice the way that he stiffened and that as he inhaled, his sweater, which was already hiked up slightly, rose enough to show off a delicious looking patch of skin right over his jeans. I look away from that quickly and feel my face heat up even more. Of all places to look, turning my head to see the large golden pools of Jace's eyes might not have been the right choice. His eyebrows are raised and I don't know if he is thinking of something inappropriate to say or if he is just trying to look amused to make it seem like less of a big deal to me. Either way, I need to get this done and fast.

I quickly unbutton his pants and pull the zipper down, refusing to so much as look at what I am doing again. I look over at Isabelle, who is biting her lip as though she is trying not to laugh. "Come on," I snap at her.

She lets go of her lip and moves forward, her eyes narrowing slightly as she begins to try and process exactly what they were going to have to do. "This isn't going to be easy," she mumbles.

"Getting into my pants is never easy," Jace informs us smugly. "Perverts."

"I say we let him bleed out," Isabelle says, looking at me with crossed arms. "I can live without his bad jokes anyway."

I am about to agree when Magnus snaps. "NO!" We both turn to look at him and he is looking up at us with narrowed eyes. "Clary's jacket isn't going to hold out forever with his blood. Now fix it!"

"You guys are assholes," Jace says with such surety that we all pause and look at him.

"Fine," I groan. I look at Jace sharply and snap, "No sexual innuendos, or I leave you to bleed out on the couch and subject to Magnus' wrath."

He nods curtly and rests his head back against the armrest. "Deal," he mutters.

I look over at Isabelle, feeling a fresh wave of resolve wash through me. "Let's do this," I say.

She nods and we both move forward.

* * *

><p>It takes us ten painstaking minutes of trying to coax the pants off Jace. Believe me when I say that the process is not a fun one. He knows more swear words than I do and knows how to say them in ways so intricately that I would have blushed if the situation had not called for me to be completely focused.<p>

So that is what I am as I kneel down beside Jace's bare legs…focused. The tanned and muscular skin around the cut is definitely not distracting me because I'm being completely professional and professional people aren't distracted by things like sexiness. I mentally slap myself for that thought as I look up at Magnus and Isabelle, who are both looking down at me concernedly.

Jace no longer has Magnus restraining him, but he is too worn out to really look at what I'm doing too closely. I imagine that he would be. I look back down and see that the cut is about the same length as my hand and runs diagonally down his mid-thigh. Blood is oozing down his leg, already soaking his grey boxers. It is slowing on its own, though.

"I think I'll just be able to just wrap it and clean it up," I announce to them as I look around the room, waiting for someone to protest. I look at Jace last and see that he is looking at me again. He is smiling a weak smile and I don't know if he's aware of how much pain cleaning a wound is going to cause him. "I really don't want to have to clean this," I sigh as I look around at the others. "Has anyone thought to call out?"

"Alec did," Isabelle nodded her head. "We can't get a signal with any of our phones."

I frown at them. "What?"

"The storm," Magnus explains. "It's murdering our signal. We won't be able to get Jace any help until the snow storm passes."

"Do you know how long that'll be?" I ask, still reluctant.

"It shouldn't be too long," Isabelle assures me, stepping forward to pat me on the shoulder. "That doesn't mean that Jace needs to lay around with all of that infection in his leg until we can get him some help."

I look over at Jace, who has stopped smiling. His hand reaches out and has gripped my forearm. "Think of it as payback," he says. His voice is strained slightly. "You're getting me back for what happened a year ago."

"We started over, Jace," I murmur with a shake of my head, "remember? I don't want revenge." He looks at me in silence and I stare back at him for a moment. I bite my lower lip lightly, feeling agitation begin to creep up on me. I see his eyes lower slightly, and I have to force back a blush.

I hear Magnus clear his throat loudly behind me and I am brought back to the present. "Okay," I say, looking away from Jace. "Cleaning supplies, anyone?"

* * *

><p><strong>Alright, people! How bad do you feel for Jace right now? FangirlForever578 had to know what was wrong with her "baby". Hopefully this was enough to ease her worries lol. To the guest that asked how long the story would be…I honestly don't know at the moment how long, I don't think it's going to be as long as my other two, since this one is purely seasonal, but it still isn't going to be a really short story, if that makes sense.<strong>

**Does anyone have any idea how much trouble one can get stuck inside of a cabin with no help? Anyone have any ideas for any mishaps that should go on while the group is inside? I'm all ears…or would it be eyes? Leave your thoughts on your way out!**


	6. Chapter 6

The memories of Jace's shouts of pain as I try and fix his leg wake me up from an already crummy sleep. I want nothing more than to roll back over and just curl under the cover of my blanket. I don't, though, because I know that it's useless. I am too worried about Jace to go back to sleep. My eyes drift to the window that is on the other side of Isabelle's sleeping form. No light is coming in so far. I sigh knowing that it wasn't coming in because there was no light out yet. I've woken up early…again.

I blame Jace for this as I roll out of bed soundlessly. I don't bother grabbing a jacket this time as I walk out of the door, closing it behind me. The floor is cool beneath my feet, and I am regretting not bringing a pair of slippers with me on the trip. I make a mental note to go out and buy some while Jace is at the hospital. The thought slips out of my head when I realize that I am not the only one up. Jon and Alec are awake as well. They are standing at the window at the kitchen on either side of the table. They seem completely engrossed in their conversation, whatever it was about, and the outside.

I am about to walk over to them and make my presence known when I hear, "Clare?" from a voice that is rough with sleep. I look down toward the noise and see that it is coming from the pullout bed that is supporting Jace. He should be in a real bed, but when Jon and Simon offered to give theirs up, Jace blatantly refused, insisting that the pullout was fine. No one could get him to change his mind.

"You know that your leg would probably feel better on a real mattress," I tell him as I take a step closer.

"You keep talking like that," he says with a smile, "and I'm going to think that you care about me."

I roll my eyes to cover up how nervous the statement makes me. I swallow slightly and advert my eyes to the two boys at the window for a moment before I look back down at Jace, who has not taken his eyes off me. "How long have you been up?"

"I've been in and out all night," he admits. "I don't really know how long I've been awake this time, though."

His eyes narrow slightly as he looks at me and I raise an eyebrow at him. "Something wrong, Herondale?"

"You still look tired," he observes. "Why are you awake?"

There are some things that I will just not admit to. This is one of them. I simply look at him and shrug. "Isabelle is really bad for hogging a bed," I lie.

"I won't bite if you want to sit down," he informs me, gesturing to the foot of the bed. "I promise."

"I know," I assure him. "I might take you up on that offer in a minute, but right now, I need to talk to Jon about you and a hospital."

I see Jace grimace, but I don't really pay any attention to it as I walk past him. I am able to tune into the boys' conversation when I am halfway to the kitchen.

"…keep it clean until everything is cleared?" Alec was asking as I step on to the tiled floor of the kitchen. I imagine that he is talking about me and Jace's leg. I frown. I figure that the storm would have dissipated by now.

"It's still snowing?" I question, as I make it to the edge of the table. I am able to look past the open curtain and see that it is still pretty dark outside, but not because the sun isn't out…it's because there's no place for the sun to shine. The sky is completely covered by a thick blanket of clouds and snow is falling down more quickly than ever. I can't really even make out the trees that are supposed to be in view not twenty feet off.

"Yeah," Jon says. He turns around to face me as I walk to his side of the table, crossing my arms as I feel the draft that is coming off the glass of the window. He casts a glance into the living room at Jace before looking down at me. I can see a glimmer in his eyes and I swear that it looks like worry. "We need to get the others up. There's something that we need to talk about."

* * *

><p>After we manage to wrestle everyone from the warmth and comfort of their beds, they all manage to stumble out into the living room. Magnus and Alec have the chair while Isabelle and Simon are leaning against the wall as they sit on the floor, clearly about to nod back off. I am sitting at the foot of Jace's bed worriedly as Jon stands in front of everyone. He has a crease between his eyebrows as though he doesn't want to have to say what he's about to say.<p>

"It's still snowing," he says after a moment. His hands are clasped behind his back and he has begun pacing back and forth slowly.

"Really?" Simon asks wearily. "I had no idea. I figured the angels had dandruff or something."

Isabelle takes this perfect time to elbow Simon in the side. "Shut up with the bad jokes so we can go back to sleep," she snaps at him. She looks back at Jon expectantly, completely ignoring the filthy look that Simon is giving her.

"It's gotten worse instead of better and we don't know when it's going to let up." Jon continues, not stopping his pacing as he wrings his hands together. I find myself standing up as he says this, my heart is starting to pound as I realize what he is trying to say. What comes out of his mouth next, though hits home the best, "Right now we're stuck in here with no help and no way to get any help."

"What do you mean that we're _stuck_ in here?" I all but shout in my brother's face. He is looking at me as though I am insane, and everyone else is sitting around the cabin with grim looks of resignation on their faces.

"It could be worse," Jace says from his seat across the room. I don't have to turn around to see the cocky smirk that is plastered on his face. "You could be here without my incredible wit and charm."

"If someone doesn't stop talking," I growl, "he's going to be here without a heartbeat!" I round back on Jon, feeling my anger increase as the very thought of Jace enters my head. "You told me that it would be fine and that everyone else was going to be here in a couple of days! Now, I'm stuck here with no way back to…anywhere!"

"Quit being so dramatic, Clary," Jonathan says, rolling his exasperated green eyes. "Help should be here anytime now."

"How are they going to know to find us here?" I demand hoarsely. "The cabin is a mile back in the forest! It's snowing, which means that we'll be even more impossible to find, and I'm pretty sure that Jace needs...mph" Jon clamps a hand over my mouth and looks at me pointedly.

"Shut up and cool it," he snaps at me. "We don't need you freaking out on us anymore than we need anyone else freaking out." I look up at him with wide eyes and once he sees that he has my undivided attention, he slowly lets go of my mouth. "Now as for what Jace needs…he may need more than what we can give him, but as for right now all we have is you."

I nod silently, suddenly feeling ashamed of my outburst. I look around at the others, who are looking down into their laps. "Look," Simon sighs. "It's early; let's go back to sleep for a couple of hours. The trek out to the road is roughly a mile. I wouldn't trust anyone to drive in this, but maybe a couple of us could walk the path. I'm sure we can find something in here that we could take with us to make sure that we'll be able to find our way back."

"That's a good idea," Isabelle nods in agreement. "People might be patrolling the road, looking for people that are in trouble. I don't think Idris has had a storm this bad in years."

"Fine," Jon says, a tight smile on his face. It is possible that he doesn't like the plan so much as the idea that we have some sort of plan to go on at all. "Let's go back to sleep."

The room clears out quickly as Alec and Magnus go into their room and Izzy, Simon, and Jonathan all head back into the hallway. No one even casts a single glance in my direction again. I am still standing by the edge of the kitchen.

"You not going back to sleep?" Jace asks me, his tone conversational.

"I'm not really tired," I lie. "Do you want me to check your leg out?"

"No," Jace says slowly. "I was wondering if you would want to talk to me for a few minutes." He is pushing himself into a sitting position, being extra careful about how he moves his leg. He looks up at me, his golden eyes pleading. I have no argument and am utterly helpless as I nod. The smile that starts to make its way across his lips is completely worth it and I am finding myself glad to see it. He pats the spot on the bed beside him almost tentatively and says, "In that case, come on."

I nod and walk over to the mattress. I settle down next to him, careful not to move the bed around too much in fear of making his cut worse. "So, what do you want to talk about?"

"Kaelie," he sighs. "And that night that you broke up with me."

"Jace," I say, moving to get up. There are a lot of things that I am willing to talk with him about, but that really isn't something that I want to sit and have a nice conversation with him about. "I don't think-"

He grabs my wrist before I can get any further."I don't blame you for not wanting to talk," he admits, giving me a sheepish smile. "It isn't what you think that it is, though. I have something that you might want to hear and I want to share it with you."

I look down to where I am in his gentle grasp and then back up to Jace, who is giving me the most hopeful smile that I have seen him use since we've gotten here. "Alright," I say. "What about Kaelie?"

* * *

><p><strong>Well, this is a really short chapter compared to some of the others, and for that I am extremely sorry. I can't help it though. Christmas has been BUSY and I have been BUSY because of it. I realized this morning that I hadn't updated since the 22<strong>**nd****, and you all figured that I was most likely dead. Well…I'm not! As for cleaning the cut…I'm a high-schooler with a **_**very**_** basic sense of first aid. I was not about to butcher any form of doctoring that Clary was about to do. Use your imagination for that one: He yelled a lot and most likely said a lot of bad words, lol.**

**What could Jace have to say about Kaelie? What did she have to do with the night that they broke up a year ago? I'm wondering if anyone can guess this one right. If you do, I'll give you a shout out next chapter when some explaining shall be done!**


	7. Chapter 7

**These people might not have been spot on, but they were reasonably close:**

**Islandgirl4evR**

**Guest**

**Brightdarknessx**

* * *

><p><em><strong>One Year Ago<strong>_

_I was walking through the hallways of Idris high school with Jace and Jon on either side of me. Jace had one arm slung over my shoulder as he laughed at my brother, who was telling us an insane story of what had happened at his friend, Meliorn's party the week before. All seniors had been invited to the party, and I was going to go, but I'd gotten sick right before it was time to get ready. Jace had offered to stay home with me that night, but I'd told him that I was fine by myself and to go and babysit Jonathan, who sometimes got carried away when presented with temptations like alcohol, which was bound to be there. It turned out that Jonathan was not the person that I had to worry about._

"_You seriously can't remember anything?" I ask Jace incredulously. He shakes his head with a bit of a strained smile on his face. The thought that he didn't like that he didn't remember anything made me feel a lot better._

"_No," he replied. "I wish I did."_

"_It was a pretty crazy party," Jon said, a smirk on his face. "I'm sorry that you missed out on it, Clare. Even Simon was having a good time. The nerd got the nerve up to kiss Izzy." I pause mid step and Jace jerks to a stop beside me. He is a bit more tense against my side, telling me that he is just receiving this news as well. "It isn't as though either of them could remember it. He was as wasted as Jace was."_

_I snorted at the thought of a drunken Simon, but other than that I shake my head. "You guys need to stop going to those parties. One of these days, they're going to get busted and they're going to go to jail. If you go with them, I'm not going to visit you."_

"_You're telling me that you wouldn't go and visit me in prison?" Jace asked me, raising a perfect eyebrow. "That's kind of hurtful, Clare."_

"_I'm doing this as an incentive for you to not go to jail," I inform him, leaning into his chest as I smile. I see my brother gag slightly, but a smile eventually won out. He looked past us, however and his smile faded almost as fast as it showed up. The look was traded for a curled upper lip and eyebrows that were knitted together. "What's wrong, Jonny?" Jace asked my brother._

"_Kaelie," he said simply, crossing his arms over his chest. Of course, he was right. The trademark sound of her high heels clicking against the tile flooring came to my ears and I grimaced._

"_Oh joy," Jace muttered._

"_Maybe she isn't looking for us," I replied._

"_No, she's looking for us, alright," Jon assured me. "She's currently glaring daggers into the back of Jace's head."_

"_I can feel them," Jace informed him just as Kaelie stepped into view._

"_What are you doing with your arms on her?" she demanded loudly. Her voice was rising in pitch as she looked at us as though we were about to cause her to fall over dead._

"_She's my girlfriend," Jace replied slowly. I didn't have to look behind me to know that he was raising his eyebrow at her. "It's what I'm supposed to do."_

"_Your girlfriend?" the preppy girl almost shrieked. "You told me that you were going to break up with her!"_

_I felt Jace stiffen beside me, but I am too shocked by what she is yelling to really process anything else. "What is she talking about?" I asked him quietly, unable to really feel angry because what she'd said hadn't really settled in yet._

"_I don't know," Jace said, the confusion in his voice was so sincere that I had troubles not believing him. "I haven't talked to her in—"_

"_A week!" she shrieked, cutting him off as she threw her hands in the air. "You talked to me at the party right before you slept with me!" A cold feeling was beginning to run through me before I had even begun to process what I just heard. The arm that was around me was starting to suffocate me and I wasn't exactly sure what I was moments from doing, but it wasn't going to be pretty when it happened. Of course, she wasn't done. "Guess what, Mr. I-Don't-Really-Love-Fray, I'm pregnant and there's only one person here that can be the father!"_

_I can't remember ever feeling so nauseated in my life as I looked at Kaelie with my mouth gaping open and my stomach churning. I was pretty sure that I was going to be sick._

* * *

><p>"I remember that day fairly well," I inform him quietly when he asks me how well I can recall the day that we broke up. "Trust me, though. It isn't exactly one of those days that I prefer to keep on the forefront of my mind."<p>

Jace smiles at me weakly as if telling me that he understands. "It isn't my favorite day either," he admits, looking into his lap. "If I'm being honest, it's probably the most painful memory that I've had in a long time." He pauses as he slowly lifts his head up to look at me again. "Now it's going to be an even more painful moment to look back on because of just how pointless everything was."

"What do you mean?" I ask, feeling a bit anxious to hear what he has to say. "I figured that my reaction was justified."

"That's not what I'm talking about," Jace says quickly. He reaches his hand out and grabs one of mine that is sitting on the bed. He squeezes it softly before letting it go and looking away from me again almost as though he can't look at me while he is telling his story. "I would have acted the same way."

He inhales deeply and exhales slowly before looking back over at me as though he has finally managed to draw the courage to tell me. "Kaelie lied about everything."

"What do you mean by that?" I question. I am unsure of what this can mean and I am afraid of what it can mean. "What was there to lie about?"

"At that party, the only time that I ever talked to her was when she was handing out drinks," he informs me with a hopeful smile. "Jon and I were together the whole time, but the only reason that I can't remember any of it is because when she handed me my drink, it had something in it." Jace shakes his head. "I was stupid for even drinking. I was underage and I probably got what I deserved—"

"You didn't deserve to get drugged," I cut him off as I look at him sideways. "No matter what you were doing."

Jace smiles at me with that same weak smile and says. "I've learned my lesson anyhow."

"If you weren't around Kaelie the entire night," I say slowly, "that means that you didn't sleep with her."

Jace nods. "Exactly. You remember about a month after that, she came to school completely devastated, saying that there'd been a problem and that she'd miscarried?"

"I do," I say. I remember the look on Jace's face. He'd walked around the school like a zombie for weeks due to grief.

"Well, apparently a couple of nights ago when she found out that you were going down to the cabin and that I was still going despite the fact that she didn't want me to go because of you, it was the final straw for her," he rolls his eyes. "She let everything spill out after she made it clear that she was breaking up with me. She called me an inattentive, lousy, uncaring boyfriend. She told me that I was the worst waist of a year on her life that she'd ever had, and that she regretted tricking me into believing that I'd gotten her pregnant." His smile stretches at this part, as though the very thought of Kaelie never being pregnant by him made him feel so much better. "When I asked her about the last part, she told me that she faked the entire thing. She tried to get me to sleep with her at the party, but I refused to because of you. Apparently faking the pregnancy was the only way that she could think of to get you to break up with me."

I am silent for a moment as I look at Jace. My mouth is gaping slightly and my eyes are widened. It is as if I can feel my heart breaking all over again from that night and not because of what Jace did. "It was for nothing," I say, my voice a hoarse whisper.

"I understand why you did it," Jace says. He is looking at me concernedly and I am wondering how distraught I look now. "I know that I didn't argue with you when you broke up with me like I should have, but I didn't know what else to do. I mean, I thought that Kaelie was pregnant and that I deserved what you were doing to me even if I didn't want it to happen."

I look at him silently, unsure of what I am supposed to say as a response. I am beyond terrified because I'm not sure if I am ready to look at Jace without that twinge of resentment that I've held on to so desperately. Without that feeling, I have no idea if I'm still in love with him or not. "I am so sorry," I say finally, unsure of what else should come out of my mouth. I cover my face up with my hands, never feeling so ripped off from something.

"It's not your fault. This doesn't have to change anything between us," Jace says quietly. "I understand if you've already moved on from me; it's been a year after all. I just figured that you would like to know that I didn't actually cheat on you any more than I actually loved Kaelie. You probably already have a boyfriend and I understand that; I'm not asking you to drop everything and run back to me."

I look over at him with a sad smile. "I don't have a boyfriend, Jace," I assure him. "I was still getting over what you did to me. I think getting to know you again would be a good thing, though."

"My favorite color is still blue," he assures me. "I still have the greatest hair that you will ever see on a guy. I know I am God's gift to women, though I am only giving myself to you."

I slap him on the arm lightly as I snort. "I was being serious, Jace," I tell him.

He grabs my hand from where it is resting on my shoulder and intertwines our fingers together. He tries to look as though he is doing it casually, but I can tell that he is watching me to make sure that I am not uncomfortable, which is what makes me so okay with it. "So am I," he informs me.

Before I can reply, I hear Magnus' voice. "What are you guys doing?"

I jump off the bed as thought I'd been electrocuted. I spin around and see Magnus make his way toward the kitchen, grabbing the can of coffee that we'd had the foresight to buy at a gas station before getting to the cabin the day before off the edge of the counter. "If it was a pillow fight, why didn't you tell me?" he asks casually as he begins to put water into the coffee pot. "I am a pro at those."

I look away from him and back down to Jace, who is looking at me with a raised eyebrow. "What happened to sleep, Mags?"

"Alexander snoring louder than a freight train," Magnus replies calmly as he steps away from his handiwork. "I finally gave up on my futile attempt at sleep and just decided on coffee."

"You know we have another hour or so until the others are going to wake up, right?" I ask, finally looking away from Jace. "Any ideas of what to do until then?"

"I always heard that awkward silences were a great way to pass the time," Magnus informs me.

* * *

><p>And wait around in an awkward silence we did. Magnus lounged around on the chair, downing cup after cup of coffee. I sat on the end of the bed, nursing my own as Jace sat where he'd been the entire time. We'd offered him some coffee, but he hadn't wanted any.<p>

Jon is the first person up after Magnus. He comes stumbling from the hallway, his blond hair in disarray and his green eyes drooping from exhaustion. "Hey," he says through a yawn. "How's it going?"

"Swimmingly," Magnus informs him as he finishes off what has to be his sixth cup of coffee. "I'm ready to go an break my neck out in the snow!" He looks over at me and says, "Don't be offended when I ask Alec to be my nurse instead of you, Clarissa."

"I'll try my best," I reply. "Though if I have to see him in one of those little nurse's outfits, I may never recover from mental scarring."

Magnus is silent as though he is actually contemplating how Alec would look in one of them. The thought makes me slightly nauseous. I look away from Magnus and lock eyes with Jace, who is looking at me with something that looks like mirth. "That is disgusting," he informs me before he starts snorting uncontrollably.

"What's so funny?" I turn around and see that Simon and Isabelle are both standing at the door way while Jon has gone toward the kitchen in a trance-like state to get some coffee.

"The thought of Alec in some not so modest clothes," Jace says. I turn to look at him again and see that his lips are still twitching. "Why do you ask, Rat Face?"

Simon doesn't answer, and I don't have to turn around to know that he is rolling his eyes. He and Isabelle walk into my line of sight as they take a seat against the wall behind the couch. Jon settles down on the bed beside me at the same time that Alec awakens and walks out of the bedroom. He doesn't say a word as he settles on the armrest of Magnus' chair.

"Good timing," Simon comments. "So, who all wants to go on our heroic walk?"

"You're going to a road," Jace informs him.

"You'd make it sound so much more dazzling than that if you were going," Simon snapped at him. "Since you can't stop talking and let people volunteer."

"You're going, Rat Face?" Jace demands.

"Since it was my idea, you're damn right I am," Simon nods his head in confirmation.

"I'll go," Isabelle says, nodding her head. "Simon's accident prone and I'm not letting him out of my sight out there."

"If she's going, I am," Alec says, looking at them pointedly.

"I'll go too," Jon volunteers.

"Me too," I say.

"No," it was Jace that protested. I turn and look at him in surprise. He is looking at me with a frown as he snaps, "There's no need for you to go."

"My hair is bright red," I point out. "Anyone that can help us could see me from a mile away."

"No, Clary," Jace's arms are crossed over his chest and his eyebrows are drawn together. I haven't seen him look so angry or adamant about something in a long time.

"There's no need for me not to go!" I snap at him indignantly.

Jon grabs my arm and pulls me to my feet. He drags me out of the room and into the hallway, straight down until we are in my and Izzy's room. He closes the door and crosses his arms over his chest. "What are you doing?"

"Volunteering?" I question, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't play stupid with me," Jon snaps. "You and Jace don't need to be fighting now, of all times! He needs you here anyway, considering his leg. You volunteering to go was stupid and it got him worked up over nothing."

"Why is he getting so worked up?" I demand, not really thinking about what I asked before it was out of my mouth.

"Why do you think, Clary?" Jon asks, his voice a bit softer than it was before. "You're about the dumbest girl I've ever met, you know that?"

"Trust me," I mutter. "I know."

"The boy is still head-over-heels in love with you," he says. "I don't know how you feel about him and it really doesn't matter to me right now as much as getting you out of here safely. If you could just get along with him for another few hours, it could all be over."

I nod, feeling like a scolded child. "Fine."

Jon opens the door again and we both step back out. It takes me maybe seven strides to my brother's four for us to get back into the room and as soon as we do, Magnus speaks. "Look, Clare. We were all talking and I am just as flashy as your hair. I could go instead of you that way someone is here that knows what they're doing to watch after Jace."

I look over at Jace and see that he is looking anywhere but at me. I don't know if he's upset, angry, or ashamed. I doubt that it is the last one considering that it is Jace that I am looking at, but it's a nice thought. "That sounds like a good idea," I finally say. "I should probably stay here with Jace anyway."

* * *

><p><strong>Another chapter down! I hope you all liked it! So, it's safe to say that we're about halfway through the story, which is a wonderful thought. What did you think of the chapter? What do you think Clary should do to Kaelie whenever she sees her. Do you think I should make an extra chapter at the end of the story of this encounter? Please leave your thoughts on the way out!<strong>


	8. Chapter 8

The thought of being alone in the cabin with Jace makes me more nervous that I would like to admit. With the others gone, there is no one to go to and hide behind when he decides to say something that is going to make me uncomfortable. Of course, I probably shouldn't be thinking about how uncomfortable I am going to be in a cabin while I am watching the others walk out of the doorway to go on the long and potentially dangerous trek to the road. I am anyway though because I am such a supportive sister and friend. I see Simon and Isabelle at the back of the group with rope and Magnus' glittery scarves in hand. I think that I might know how they intend on using those supplies, but I am not one hundred percent certain that I do.

After a few moments, they are lost in the storm. I look away, worry already beginning to gnaw at my insides. "You do understand that they're going to be fine, right?" Jace's voice carries from the couch. "Think about it, Clary, there's five of them going and they have all of that strange equipment to ensure their safety."

"What if something goes wrong?" I ask, trying not to let my voice shake as I turn away from the window and to Jace.

"Then they're going to have to rely on Nurse Alec," he says simply. I know that he is trying to cheer me up, and the mental image of Alec in a white nurse's uniform is disturbing enough to do the trick for a second before the worry starts to eat at me yet again. He sees this and sighs. "Come here," he says, patting the spot beside him.

I mentally debate on whether or not to walk over, but then I mentally shrug. What's the harm? When I get to him on the bed, he carefully wraps an arm around my shoulder, as if he was worried that I would reject him. I don't, though he probably deserves it. I simply lean against him and rest my head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry," I tell him quietly. "I must seem really needy right about now."

"No," Jace says. I feel him shrug against me. "You seem really concerned, which is perfectly understandable."

I am silent as I move away from him, unsure of what I will do if I stay near. I can feel the hate that I have been so desperately trying to hold on to beginning to slip out of my grasp. "What is it?" he asks me. His hand reaches out as though he is going to try and touch me, but he stops at the last moment and curls his hand into a fist as he lowers it.

I look at him, and can't stop the stupid and truthful words that just slip from my mouth. "I want to hate you."

He frowns at me and I don't blame him because what I've said is truly unsettling and he probably can't figure out if I'm trying to be hurtful or not. "You want to hate me?" he questions slowly. "Does that mean that you don't?"

"I don't know what it means!" I snap at him, running a handful of fingers through my hair in agitation. "All I know is that you've told me that the only reason that I've had to hate you for the year that I've hated you is gone and now I don't know what to think!" I look at him helplessly, hating how all of this is just flowing out of my mouth like the world's worst word vomit. "I know that hating you is the safest thing to do, so I want to. I don't know if I can anymore."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I don't want you to hate me," he says. The way that he is looking at me is almost as though he is afraid of what I might say next.

"I don't know how that makes me feel," I reply. "I want to say that it doesn't make me feel anything, but I don' t think that I can."

"Clary," he says after a moment, his voice oddly soft. "We don't have to rush into anything. Actually, that's the last thing that I want. You just found out about what happened, and so did I really. You told me that you wanted to get to know me again, right?" he asks with a smile. "We can start there. I want to get to know you too."

"That's not it," I say. I don't know how I can tell him how I am feeling to get him to understand. "I don't know if I can stand the thought of even being friends with you."

He looks at me with his mouth parted and undisguised hurt in his eyes. "Why? I thought that we were starting over."

"We were," I say, getting to my feet. "That was before you told me what you just did. I need some time to process all of this, okay?" I want to tell him that I didn't mean to sound so rude and I didn't mean to tell him that I didn't want to be friends, because that isn't really what I meant at all, but I don't see an easier way to get the space that I am going to need to try and figure out everything.

He just nods and looks down into his lap. I've never seen Jace so put out, but I can't help him. I swallow back the guilt and force myself to look away.

"I'm going into my room for a little while," I say quietly. "I'll be out in about an hour to check your leg."

He simply nods again and I am struck by the fact that I might have just made Jace wordless for the first time since knowing him. Part of me wishes that it had been more of a positive thing than what I had gotten.

* * *

><p>The hour that I'd given myself away from Jace passes by in stages.<p>

First, there is the anger stage. This stage seems to be the longest, mostly because there is so much about my situation to be angry about. I start off as angry at myself, because I have royally screwed up on so many levels that I don't see a way out of it. I am pacing through this part of the first stage, literally attempting to pull my hair out. How in the name of God have I been so selfish? Jace is in the other room with a hurt leg and I decide that, of all times, then is the perfect time to strike him down with all of my emotional trauma! Of course, that is only the beginning of it. If I were to dig slightly deeper in my pool of selfishness, I would see that I was wrong because I was worrying about my relationship with a boy when my brother and friends are out in a frigid snow storm, attempting to walk around for help.

Of course, then my anger switches to Jace. Why would he tell me about Kaelie at a time like this? He knows that I cannot get away from him if I need to? I can't even look at him right now because I don't know how I'm supposed to act around him. He is sooooo wrong for pushing this all on me right now!

Then my anger switches to Jonathan, who is the reason that I am even out here in this stupid cabin right now. If he would not have begged me to go, I would be at home or at my university comfortably and away from troubling topics.

Lastly my anger switches and stays on Kaelie. That bitch needs to fall off a cliff. By this time, my hands are in fists, and I'm pretty sure that my face in contorted into a not so nice expression. I don't care how much trouble I get into; at the moment, I am fully prepared to go to jail, but I am going to hurt her for the year of pain that she has caused me just because she wanted someone that was already taken.

Of course, this takes me into my next stage: guilt.

My mind seems to switch already, going from pissed at Kaelie to wondering how I can even possibly begin to plot a very realistic-looking accident involving her and a train when Jon and the others are still outside. And once again, I am pouring over the fact that I just told Jace that I didn't know if I wanted to be friends with him while he was hurt…talk about being kicked while you're down. I grimace at my selfishness.

Then the final stage: admittance.

It's like those AA meetings, where you have to admit that you have a problem to fix it. Well, this is where I admitted that I am a bitch. I don't really know if I have the capability to fix this issue or not, but at least I now know that I am on the road to recovery. No, this does not make me feel any better.

I look down at my wristwatch that says _redheads rock_ on the face and see that it is almost eleven o'clock. I have to go out there and face Jace now. An overwhelming feeling of terror fills me to the brim. I look over at the door, feeling unease. Jace is going to be out there and I know that he's going to be cold and aloof, not that I blame him.

I grab the knob to the door and open it slowly, trying to make my time away from him stretch. Of course, when the hall is only six feet or so in length, it doesn't really stretch out all that much

Jace sees me when I walk in. He is just sitting up again and as soon as we lock eyes, the look in his golden ones deaden slightly. I don't say anything as I walk over to him. He doesn't look away from me as I sit down next to him. I grab at the blanket that is laying over his legs, knowing that he is only in his boxers underneath. He lets me take it off without a fight, and I am worried that I may have hurt him more than I had anticipated. Was he not going to talk to me at all now?

I get my answer a moment later. "I want you to know how sorry I am that things ended up the way that they did between us," he says quietly. His eyes lower to his lap where my hands are resting. I'd paused undoing his bandages as I'd listened to him speak.

"Yeah," I mutter, as my hands begin to start moving again. "I'm sorry too." They don't get too far because I feel something alien and familiar at the same time. Jace's hand against my face. I look up at him, my eyes widening.

"I want you to know how I feel, Clary," he whispers. "I know what you said earlier and I respect that, but when you're making up your mind, I don't want you to have any doubts about how I feel about you."

Before I can respond, he has leaned forward and covered my lips with his own.

I would love to say that I hold true to my word and that I push him away from me. I can't. Let's face it, if someone that looked like Jace started kissing you, would you try and fight against him? I'm only human, after all. I think I yelp slightly at the abruptness of it, but after that I feel my brain begin to melt. The only thing that I can really concentrate on is the hand that is on my face and the other one that is resting on my hip as I lean further into him and wrap my arms around his neck loosely. The kiss is soft and sweet, there is nothing hurried about it as though he doesn't want to scare me away. I don't think anything at the moment could pull me away from him as I inhale as much of his scent as I can muster; I am completely intoxicated.

He pulls away slightly so that our foreheads are touching, and I am still buzzing with warmth. I don't think as I inhaled deeply and pull him back toward me. He doesn't resist, even smiles as he leans down and kisses me again, this time a bit more deeply than before, as though he is excited that I haven't pushed him away. He pulls me on to his good leg so that I am closer to him as I wrap my arms more firmly around him. I use one hand to bury into soft and tangled hair as the other trails along the muscles of his upper back. I accidentally pull on one of the knots in his hair a bit too firmly and he groans against my mouth, creating a strange sensation against my lips…not an unpleasant one though. I feel myself beginning to smile.

But then there is a frigid cold against my side and a loud voice yelping, "Oh sweet miserable hell! My poor virgin eyes!"

* * *

><p><strong>I know, you all hate me for the cliffhanger, but it's not as if I don't update regularly, so I'm sure that you'll all live. I'd love to know who you think the person that yelled was.<strong>

**And there you are! The first Clary/Jace kiss of the story, which hopefully makes up for the cliffy *crosses fingers* I don't know, though. It might. Leave a review and tell me what you think!**


	9. Chapter 9

I have never moved so fast in my life as I do when I hear Simon yell. I push myself away from Jace, land on the bed and bounce on to the floor with a loud thud. I close my eyes as I groan lowly and just lay there allowing my cheeks to flare and embarrassment to settle in. I am too mortified to move. I am sure that I have stopped breathing; part of me is hoping that if I continue to not breathe, I will just suffocate and die on the spot.

Of course luck is never on my side.

Before I can just die, more voices start to sound and I am shocked back into my breath, but my embarrassment also goes up about ten notches. "_You're_ poor virgin eyes, Si?" Magnus' voice enters my consciousness first. "What about mine? Do you really think I ever wanted to see Herondale trying to get past second base with anyone?" I finally force my eyes open and I pathetically turn my head to see what was going on. I am just in time to see Magnus place his hand over his forehead dramatically and say, "I am unsure if I will ever be able to look at my couch the same way."

Of course, Simon and Magnus aren't the only ones in the doorway. Nope, all five of the brave searching snow walkers are standing in the cabin, looking at Jace and I. "Shut up you guys," Jonathan snaps at them. He is grimacing as though he is about to be sick to his stomach. "Of all things to walk in on," he mutters, looking up at the roof, "my little sister and best friend trying to eat each other's faces off…" he trails off, shaking his head. "If I keep thinking about it, I'm going to be sick." He looks back down, but not at either of us. He doesn't even glance in the direction of the couch. Instead, he looks toward the hallway, which is the direction that he walks in, shaking snow out of his pale hair as he goes.

"What are you doing?" Magnus calls after him. "I figured that we were going to start tormenting Jace and Clary!"

"I'm going to take a hot shower," he replies. "I can't feel my toes right now." He pauses right before he disappears into the hallway. He doesn't turn around, he just puts his hand on the wall as though he is resting and says, "Jace, Clary, I hate you both." I can't tell if his tone is serious and before I get up the nerve to ask, he is gone. I hear a door open and close, and any nerve that I have gathered dies.

"Does this mean that we wait to torment them?" Simon questions. He looks over at Magnus hopefully.

Isabelle is the one that answers. She walks up and grabs him by the ear. He immediately cringes and shrinks to her height. "Ouch!" he wails. "Come on, Iz! I'm cold!"

"You should have thought about that before you opened your big mouth!" she scolds him sternly. Before anyone can say anything else, she drags him across the room and down the hallway. I hear another door slam shut. By this time, I am able to move again, though the mortification is still there and seeing Magnus looking at me gleefully is not helping matters. The only thing that makes me feel any better is that Alec has the decency to look away from me uncomfortably. I slowly begin to sit up, not breaking eye-contact with Magnus, mostly because I don't have the strength to at the moment, and resting my back against the bed. I refuse to look at Jace, terrified by the very thought.

"I want to make so many jokes right now," Magnus says. I can tell that he is talking to both Jace and me from the way that his eyes are flickering to both of us, "I can't, though, because they're all scattered in my head, don't worry though, you'll both be the first to know as soon as I have a breakthrough on them."

He takes a step forward and I am finally able to look away from him. I choose the ground as a more suitable object to focus on and sigh inaudibly in relief.

"Come on, Alexander," Magnus says, looking behind him at Alec, who is still standing in the corner of the room uncomfortably. "Let's go and get the snow out of our hair and clothes." He winks at him and sends him a wolfish smile, "I'll help you with yours if you help me with mine." Alec flushes and practically sprints into the room.

I want to tell Magnus that he is terrible to tease people, but my throat won't let any sounds come out. Instead, I just sit there until Jace and I are the only ones in the room left. Even then, I just sit there, unsure of what I am supposed to do. Jace is the one that finally breaks the silence.

"Are you okay, Clary?" he asks me quietly.

"Define okay," I find myself replying, unsure of what else to say. I don't know if I'm okay or not. On one hand, I'm on cloud nine from what just happened between us, and on the other, I'm so torn over whether I should even feel anything from what had just happened that I can barely feel the effects of the kiss.

"Well," Jace says, his voice as thoughtful as always. "Do you have a concussion?"

"I didn't hit my head," I say as I finally turn around to look at him. He is looking down at me with a weak smile. I try and return one, but I have a feeling that it is weak and sad at best.

"That was awkward, wasn't it?" he asks. "I don't think I've ever been stunned into silence before." He offers me his hand, his demeanor completely calm and collected.

"I've got it," I tell him, feeling myself calm down thanks to his own attitude. "You're still hurt," I inform him. He looks down at his leg as though me mentioning it is the only reason that he even remembers. I push myself up until I am kneeling. My hands are on the rails of the bed then and I turn around so that I can just settle down into the mattress.

"I don't want to put you on the spot," Jace says quietly after I am seated. He is looking at his lap still where his bandage is still only beginning to come off thanks to my earlier distraction. "The last thing that I want you to feel like is as though I'm pressuring you to feel a certain way. I'd never do that. I just want you to know that when I was with Kaelie, I never loved her and I never cared about her. It was for the child that never really existed. Take all of the time that you need to come up with whatever decision that you think is a good one."

Unsure of where the sudden surge of tenderness is coming from, I lean forward and press my lips against his forehead gently. I feel him stiffen slightly before leaning into the contact slightly. I hear him release a breath quietly in something that sounded a lot like relief. "Just lay back and relax for a few minutes, okay? I'm going to go and figure out what happened outside."

He nods and I get up. I see that he is going to do as I say and after I know that, I turn around and walk toward the hallway. I hear the shower going in the second bathroom on the other side of the hall from the room that Jon and Simon share. I look over for a moment, wondering what is going through my brother's head, before I move forward, determined to get to my room. I don't know if he's angry at me or not, and I don't want to think about it right now. A step and a half later, I am standing in front of my room. Part of me wants to barge in, but judging what everyone else just walked in on with Jace and me, I don't think that I need to risk doing the same. So I knock.

A moment later, I hear Isabelle call out, "Come in!" I slowly open the door and peek through. Judging from the mussed hair, I was right take precautions. The thought still makes me slightly nauseous. Isabelle is sitting on the bed with her ankles crossed as she leans back slightly, her weight resting on her hands. Simon is leaning against the wall nearest to the bed almost casually, but the way that his glasses are slightly askew ruins the entire image.

"What happened outside?" I question quietly. "You weren't gone for very long."

"Much to your disappointment, I see," Simon says smartly, his hand finally moving to his face to fix his frames. "Sorry for the inconvenience."

I roll my eyes at him and look back at Isabelle, who was going to be the only one that I was going to be able to have a conversation with, though I expect that she is going to be insufferable about Jace and me soon enough. "I'm being serious, did something go wrong?"

"No," she says, giving me a reassuring smile. "Nothing's wrong, we just turned back before something did go wrong. It was terrible out there, we couldn't see anything, and when we tied Magnus' sparkly scarves to the tree limbs so that we could find our way back, the snow covered them almost immediately and they turned white. We didn't want to get lost out there."

"I understand," I say. I look down at my feet as I admit, "I'm worried about Jace. I'm not exactly the most adept at any form of medicine, and I don't know how much longer he is going to be able to go without seeing a doctor and not having permanent damage of some kind."

"The storm shouldn't be able to hold out much longer," Isabelle tells me comfortingly. "As soon as the snow stops falling, we'll go out and walk for help if we have to."

"I know that," I say as I look back up at them. "It's just that the strongest pain medicine that Magnus has is a Tylenol, and I don't think that it's really helping him all that much. Can you imagine how much that's got to be hurting him?"

"On the bright side," Simon says slowly. "He certainly didn't seem to notice the pain as we were walking in. Maybe you have some sort of numbing agent in you."

I flush slightly and snap at him, "This is serious!"

"Come on, Clary," Isabelle sighs as she stands up. She walks over and puts and hand on my shoulder. "Simon's trying to make you feel better in his own stupid little way."

"You guys are terrible to me," Simon informs us with a pout. "I was being genuine."

"Of course you were, Si," Izzy says sarcastically. "Jace would agree with you one hundred percent if it got him in the same position as before."

At that I can't help but let out a small snort. "You guys are awful," I inform them shaking my head before I let out even more giggles. "I'm terrible for laughing."

* * *

><p>It turns out that Jonathan wasn't angry at me or Jace at all, though he was strongly disapproving of making out in the living room, he just had snow in his boot and we were causing everyone to stop in the middle of the room and he couldn't make his way to the bathroom more quickly. The relief that I feel when I figure this out is unreal. It is later that afternoon that we all sit down to a dinner of packaged noodles that I learn this. I have changed Jace's cut by now and the bed it turned back into a couch so that everyone can sit down.<p>

"You know this would be a great time to start the Christmas movie marathon," Magnus says as he looks up at the blank television. The cable is completely out, of course, so there isn't really anything for us to watch anyway.

"Sounds like a plan," I agree as I stand up, finished with my bowl. Jace, who is sitting in the middle of the couch, quietly for once, is finished with his also. Before he can try to move to get up, I am already there, grabbing his dish from him. "Don't be stupid," I command. "You need to heal; that's not going to happen if you keep using that leg."

"But, if he stays sick," Magnus informs me in a singsong voice, "he keeps his nurse Clary longer. It's probably a pretty good deal from his perspective."

I roll my eyes at him and feel myself blushing slightly. I am going to murder half of the occupants of the cabin before the snow lets up. Instead of letting him in on my plan, I turn around and walk toward the kitchen to deposit my bowls into the sink. "Let's put on the Grinch, so Magnus can feel better about himself," I call out as I walk back in. I am in time to see Jon pushing the table out of the way while Alec and Isabelle are walking blindly forward with about twenty blankets a piece piled in their arms. I see Magnus move toward the chair and say, "Alexander, after you're done helping your sister, we're sharing the chair," I grimace slightly and roll my eyes as I imagine the redness of Alec's cheeks yet again. I see Jace slowly and carefully move to the side of the couch and look at me as he pats the middle cushion.

I smile at him as I walk toward Isabelle and grab the top blanket off her pile, making it to where I can just see the top of her dark hair. I hear her mutter something, but it is too muffled by the blankets to really be intelligible. I move away from her and make my way toward the couch carefully, where I show Jace the blanket, "Wanna share?"

"Of course," he replies easily. I sit down and throw the comforter over both of our laps. "I make a very nice pillow," he informs me quietly. "I get that we're just friends, but I don't think that I have to be your boyfriend for you to lean against me."

I nod, liking his logic. I smile slightly and lean over, not missing the way he wraps his arm around my shoulders. I roll my eyes, _Smooth, Herondale._

I am silent as I wait for them to finish making the monstrous palate on the floor so that we can begin watching the movie, though I have to admit that the wait isn't that bad. Jace keeps muttering some very hilarious commentary into my ear the entire time.

* * *

><p><strong>Happy New Year! Consider this my present to you all! I hope you liked the chapter, I tried to make it long, but I wanted to get it out quickly, so some sacrifices had to be made. Anyone got any ideas for some funny and crude jokes that Magnus could make? I could use a good laugh, and I'm sure the rest of us could too. I hope you liked it and that you're all having a wonderful New Years Day!<strong>


	10. Chapter 10

We watch _How the Grinch Stole Christmas,_ _Frosty the Snowman, _and _Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer_ before everyone was tired and ready to go to bed. Except for no one really goes to their rooms.

I wake up the next morning with a sleepy yawn and a small smile as I realize that Jace is using my lap as a pillow. I don't even really remember when I'd moved to the end of the couch or when he'd laid down, but it still caused butterflies to rush around in my stomach nevertheless. I look around the room and see that everyone else in there as well. Jonathan is on the floor in front of the couch, his head right next to my feet. Isabelle and Simon are both still on the palate and Alec and Magnus are sharing the chair in a strange and unsettling manner so that they look like a heap of tangled limbs.

I pat Jace's shoulder gently. He grumbles slightly in his sleep and rolls so that his face is buried in my stomach and covered by a messy tangle of hair. "Just a few more minutes," he grumbles. It is almost enough to make me let him, but I resist the temptation and push on him again. He sighs lowly and turns so that he is looking at me with half closed eyes. He yawns and looks at me a little more lucidly. "Can I help you?"

"Well, you see," I say in a conversational tone. "I need to get up and take a shower."

"You smell fine," Jace mumbles. "Stop talking and go back to sleep."

"It's time to get up," I press, shaking my head. "Let me up and you can go back to sleep."

"If you're going to make me lose my pillow I won't," Jace informs me. I look at him a second longer and he just sits up slowly and waves me away. "Fine, your highness, go ahead."

I smirk as I lean over and press my lips against his cheek quickly before I jump up, narrowly missing Jon's head, and moving toward my bedroom. It doesn't take long for me to gather the supplies for a shower and move toward the bathroom. I hum along to a tune that is playing in my head as I strip down and get the water going. I hop in, feeling more cheerful that I probably should with all of the potential problems that are building up around me.

I am massaging conditioner into my hair when the lights flicker. I look up and around, but shrug it off; they're still on and that's all that matters. I go back to running the conditioner through my hair, smiling as I go. I finally back into the line of water and let it run from my hair, down my back. Just as I am lifting my hands up to help assist the water in getting the conditioner out of my hair, the lights flicker again, only this time they stay off. I swear quietly and hurriedly get the rest of the conditioner out of my hair before turning around.

It is pitch black, and I can't see a thing as I blindly grope around for the knobs to turn the faucet off. It takes a moment longer than normal, and after a couple of mistakes with the directions of the knobs, the noise of the water roaring around me abruptly cuts off. I stand straight up again and take a deep breath, my hand blindly reaching out for the shower curtain, not really wanting to break my neck. As I find it and start pushing it back, I hear the confused voices of the others in the front room, though I couldn't make out exactly what they were saying.

"This is just what we needed," I mutter to myself as I lean over and try to find the edge of the tub. "Jace is hurt, we're stranded here, and now we have absolutely no power, so we're all going to freeze to death." I am being slightly over dramatic, but it still worries me that there is no power.

I finally make it out of the bath tub alive. I make it to the countertop, where I'd set my clothes and towel. My hands grope around, trying to find something to dry myself off with. I find the towel first and immediately wrap it around my chest. Thankfully it was long enough and wide enough to cover me. I'd get changed in the bedroom, where there was a window with a little bit of light shining through. I step forward slowly, not wanting to fall, and my foot lands in a small puddle of water. Before I can correct myself, I start sliding and fall backward. My head hits something that feels like the edge of the bath tub before anything else has a chance to hit the ground. I then land on the tiled floor, my head hitting once again. The fall sounds painful enough, but it is nothing compared to the actual feeling.

I groan and try to force myself to sit up, but the blood that is sloshing around it my head makes me too dizzy to do anything of the sort. "Clary!" my brother's voice echoes into my head. He sounds as though I am hearing him from down a tunnel, but I imagine that is because he is somewhere out in the hallway. I groan out again, in too much pain for actual words.

"What's wrong with Clary?" Jace's voice came next. I feel my heart pick up its pace at his words, though I am pretty sure that everyone is concerned by this time because I haven't answered in actual words.

"Jace," I hear Izzy snap next. "You're hurt and in no condition to—"

"Let me up!" I hear Jace's indignant voice call next. "I'm fine. I want to see Clary!"

"Calm down," it was Magnus this time. "She's in the bathroom, which means that she's probably not exactly decent yet!"

There was a long silence, and I try to get up once again. No such luck. Rolling waves of nausea wash over me and I almost hurl from the smallest movements that I make. As I lay my head back down on the tile, noticing how it is slowly beginning to cool off, the door cracks open. "Clary?" I hear Isabelle ask tentatively. "Are you alright?"

"Hit my head," I manage to say. My head starts pounding and I close my eyes to ward off the pain. "Other than the dizziness and the headache, I'm sure that I'm fine." I haven't opened my eyes yet, so I have to rely on my other senses to tell me what is going on. I am able to hear Isabelle take another step into the room, and a moment later, I feel her hand on my arm.

"It's a good thing you covered yourself before you fell," she says, as though that makes up for the fact that I am laying down on a tiled floor with a mind-blowing headache.

I don't reply, not sure if I will be able to control the rolling in my stomach if I do. "Come on," she says, and I open my eyes finally to see that she is kneeling down beside me. "Let's get you up and into the bedroom so we can get some clothes on you."

I am silent as we both work together to get myself standing again. By the time that I am back on my feet, I have already fought back the urge to puke three or four times, and my head is spinning so badly that I'm sure that I would have fallen again if Isabelle hadn't been there for me to hold on to.

"You alright, Clary?" Izzy asks me.

I mumble out a weak, "Yes," and she takes that as an initiative to start walking forward.

The hallway is dimly lit by the natural lighting that is shining through the windows in the living room, though considering that not much light is coming out of the sky, thanks to the snow, there really isn't much of anything to see with.

"Thank god," I hear Jace's voice with undisguised relief. I am turned toward the end of the hallway and cannot see him, but I imagine that he is voicing the words that my brother is too emotionally inept to say.

"She's not exactly decent," Isabelle says, stopping what I don't realize until then is the pattering of feet toward us. "I'll take her into the room and get some clothes on her before you all decide to swarm her. No one says anything in return, and it doesn't seem as though Isabelle had expected any one to because she just begins leading me toward our door.

Once we are inside, she leaves me beside the closed door, clinging to my towel, which is the only thing that is preserving my dignity. She barely seems to notice this as she grabs my suitcase from beside the chest of drawers and pulls it on to the bed. After she opens it, she begins to sift through the contents and finds me a white t-shirt and a pair of grey jogging pants. "Doesn't look exactly appealing, but after a fall like that I imagine that you don't really need to be in anything uncomfortable."

"Me either," I say, hobbling forward, wincing with the jolt that every step caused me. I get to the bed and grab the underwear and the clothes that she has gotten out for me. She turns around respectfully as I begin getting dressed. It takes me a moment, thanks to my pounding head, but I manage to get the clothes on without too much heartache. She pushes firmly on my shoulders as soon as the shirt is covering my stomach properly and I am forced on to the bed.

"Stay here. I'll let the others know that you're decent," she instructs me. "Don't go to sleep the two seconds that I'll be gone."

I roll my eyes at her ridiculousness and wave her on. It isn't a second after she leaves the room that Jon is at the door. His green eyes are wide with what I imagine is concern. "What the hell did you do this time?"

I manage a weak smile as the others begin to walk in. Alec is supporting poor Jace, who looks as though he is in enough pain to make me cringe from the very thought of it. "It was dark in the bathroom and I didn't see the puddle of water," I defend. "No big deal."

"Did you hit your head?" Jace asks as Alec deposits him on the bed beside me. He is looking me up and down unsmilingly, making it clear that I am not to make light of anything that just happened to me.

"I did," I admit after a moment of contemplation. "That doesn't mean that you're off the hook for being the crippled one around here. It just means that I have a headache." Jace's expression doesn't change at my words as he continues to look at me.

"Where did you hit it and how hard?" he asks me curtly. I turn and look at the others, who are standing around the bed in a rough semicircle. All of them seem slightly uncomfortable, as though they are fighting with the urge to rush out of the room.

I silently point to the general area on the back of my head that is continuously throbbing without looking away from the others, who are all staring at their feet. "Is there something wrong, guys?" I ask, narrowing my eyes.

"No," Alec says a bit too hurriedly for me to believe. By this time, Jace has looked away from me and over at the five people in front of us.

"You know what," Simon says after a moment, turning toward the door. "I think we should go and check outside. The snow might not be falling as badly right now."

"That's a great idea!" Jonathan says loudly, practically barreling out of the door. Everyone else followed his lead with a little more grace and not two seconds later, Jace and I are the only ones in the room.

"What the hell was that?" I question, turning to look at Jace, who is still staring at the empty doorway, though now he has a scowl.

"Them being douches," he says, turning to look at me after a moment of silence. "Apparently they felt really awkward in here around us."

"Would this have anything to do with what happened yesterday?" I question quietly.

The corners of Jace's lips twitch upward as he contemplates an answer. "That's exactly what this is about," he says after a moment. "Possibly they think that at any moment, we are going to start trying to attack each other."

"That's stupid," I say, shaking my head. "What's wrong with these people?"

"I don't know," Jace replies. "They're terrible liars, though. We just looked out of the window before the lights went off. It hasn't slowed down yet." At his words, I turn around and look out of the window that is peeking around the curtain on the other side of the bed. All I see is blurry white dots falling behind a thick layer of frost.

"Clary," Jace says after a moment. His voice is quiet and almost tentative. "You _are _okay, right? You're not just telling me what I want to hear because I want to hear it."

"No," I reply easily, my heart fluttering slightly at his concern. "I'll be fine." I smile at him, suddenly feeling longing deep in the pit of my stomach as I look at the concern on his face. He smiles back at me, but it is only a weak one. I wrap an arm around his waist, unable to stand the look on his face and give him a one-sided hug. "I'm _fine_, Jace."

"I know," he says as he returns the hug firmly. "I'm just thinking of what could have happened if you weren't. It isn't as though we could have taken you to a doctor."

"I think that you should straighten out your priorities," I tell him with a smile as I let him go to see him. I make sure that my tone is light enough for him to know that I don't mean anything by it. "Your leg is pretty bad, after all."

His smile gets a bit stronger as he says, "Don't worry, Clary. My priorities are exactly where they need to be."

* * *

><p>"You guys are adorable together," Isabelle says conversationally maybe three hours later. It is getting colder in the house now that the power is out. We are all huddled up in the living room except for Jace, who has managed to hobble to the bathroom.<p>

"What are you talking about?" I ask her with a raised eyebrow.

"You and Jace," she tells me in a _duh_ voice. I know that Jonathan can hear us from the palate that he is laying on, but he is adamantly pretending to be engrossed in what Magnus is saying about how sparkles can accent eyes if they are used the right way. I imagine that he would rather listen to Magnus talk about sparkles for the rest of the trip than listen to me and Isabelle talk about boys. Poor guy. "You guys are back together, right?"

I shake my head, frowning slightly. "No, we aren't."

"Damn," she mutters. "That means that the bet's still on." She says this quietly under her breath and I have a feeling that I am not supposed to be able to hear what she is saying. I see her cast Magnus a dirty look before looking back at me. "For the sake of my last fifty dollars for the month, get with him soon."

"I'm sorry if my relationships with people are stopping you from monetary gain," I say, unsure of whether or not I should feel offended.

"Well then make it up to me," she says, ignoring my sarcasm as she pats me on the shoulder.

"How do you know if I even like him?" I demand.

"The way that you two were lip locking yesterday doesn't exactly suggest anything else," she says; her tone is almost singsong. "Are you denying an attraction to Herondale?"

I am silent for a moment as I contemplate her words. I hear the sound of a door closing and turn around to see Jace slowly making his way down the hallway. He has a look of determination on his face, as though he was willing himself to not feel the pain that he was in. "Jonathan, help your friend," I snap at him. My brother turns around and looks at me for a moment, his expression blank, before he realizes what I am talking about. He obediently jumps to his feet and jogs toward the hallway. My eyes follow him and see Jace cast me an exasperated look, as though he is telling me that he is perfectly fine and could have made it. I am unable to fight off a smile as I turn to look back at Isabelle, who is looking at me with raised eyebrows, clearly expecting an answer.

"No," I say after a moment. "I don't deny it."

* * *

><p><strong>Look at that last line. Does anyone know what that is? It's progress, people! I hope that you all liked the chapter, though I am sorry for the delay of getting it up. School started up again today and the weekend was filled with busyness, so I had no chance at all to write. It's a longish chapter, so hopefully that makes up for something. Lemme know what you thought of it on your way out!<strong>


	11. Chapter 11

**A special thanks to Lauren1225, my new beta, for looking this over before it went up. You're awesome!**

* * *

><p>It only gets colder as the snow keeps falling outside. I'm unsure of how many hours pass, but it is sometime around midday that I finally crack, too cold to pretend that I am okay with the temperature. "If we don't do something soon," I mutter, shivering beside Jace and Alec on the couch. "I'm going to turn into an ice-sickle."<p>

Both boys turn toward me concernedly. "You want my jacket?" Jace offers, already beginning to shrug it off his shoulders.

"Keep it," I instruct him, placing my slightly stiffened fingers on the fabric so I could slide it back over him. "You're already trying to heal yourself. Don't put yourself an anymore of a disadvantage right now. It won't be healthy."

"Then do something about your inhumanly low body temperature," Jace says calmly, looking over at me with raised eyebrows. "I can feel how cold you are through my shirt." I look down and realize, with a start, that my knuckles are resting on his shoulder.

"Sorry," I mutter, looking down guiltily.

He nudges me in my side supportively and says, "Nothing to be sorry about, Clare. I don't want you getting sick."

I am about to reply, but before I can, Simon stands from the palate on the floor. "We need something to start the fireplace up with," he announces, looking around at everyone, shivering despite the fact that he is in a woolen sweater and a thick black jacket.

"If there's anything anywhere," Magnus says, on the floor by Alec's feet, "it'll be in the basement."

"You have a basement?" I demand incredulously. Magnus rolls his eyes and points into the kitchen toward the opposite end of the window. My eyes land on a small door wedged in the corner, almost completely hidden by a large wooden cabinet that probably held fine china of some sort.

"I'll help you guys look down there," I volunteer, moving to stand up when Jonathan leaps up from his seat on the armchair.

"Don't be stupid," he snaps. "I'm not having you try and break your neck twice in one day. Mom and dad'll kill me!"

"I can feel the love," I say dryly, scowling at him as I cross my arms over my chest and settle back down into the couch. Jon shoots me a pointed glare and throws me a mint green comforter that is sitting on the floor in front of the chair. It lands on my lap in a heap.

"I bet you can really feel it now; cover up before you get hypothermia," he instructs me. "Come on, Si. You and I can go down and look. There's no way that I'm letting you and Izzy disappear down there for any amount of time. I'll send someone down to check on you in thirty minutes, and they'll find themselves blind."

"You joke around too much, Jon," Simon mutters to him as he steps off the pile of blankets.

Jon completely ignores the evil eye that Izzy is casting him as he replies, "Who says that I'm joking?"

Their bantering continues until after they have both disappeared behind the dark doorway. I can still hear them as they descend the stairwell, which seems to creak with their every step. After a moment, their voices fade, and so do the obnoxious noises. "What would be down there to burn?" I ask Magnus conversationally as I open the blanket up all of the way. I offer some to Alec first, who refuses any with a polite shake of his head.

"Century old firewood," he replies. It takes me a moment to realize that he's actually serious.

"You want to share?" I ask Jace, feeling almost desperate for him to say yes, which, of course, he does. He grabs the end of the blanket and slides it over him, pulling it up to his shoulders. I mimic him, though there is a slope in the line that the fabric creates due to the dramatic differences in our height. I see him shift slightly, and squirm underneath. Then his arm slides smoothly out of the blanket, his hand holding his jacket; he throws it on the ground beside the couch before returning his arm back behind the blanket.

"You know, Clary," Jace says conversationally. "I figure I know what you're trying to do by offering me a portion of your blanket. You do understand that you're not going to get anywhere if you don't move in closer, right?"

"I guess not," I say quietly, scooting over so that our arms were brushing each other's every time one of us would inhale. Jace chuckles lowly and I feel him shift slightly. Before I can look over at him, he has already moved his arm and wrapped it around my shoulders, pulling me against him. Any shock that I am feeling is overshadowed by the feeling of bliss that surges through me from the pure heat that emits from him. I exhale in a sigh and lean further against him, my eyes rolling into the back of my head as I allow them to shut. I have just leaned my head against Jace's oddly firm and comfortable chest when he chuckles. I am too enveloped by his warmth, which I am beginning to think is unnatural, to even look at him.

"You look comfortable," he mutters to me, his voice teasing.

I can feel my cheeks beginning to flare, and at that I move. Or at least I tried to move; Jace's arm is still around me, and the most I can do is pull my head off his chest. He is smiling down smugly at me, and whispers, "Where do you think you're going?"

"Clearly nowhere," I mumble settling back down against him. He slackens his hold on me again. "Stop laughing, though. You're a lot more comfortable when you shut up."

I can feel the vibration in his chest when he snorts. "You know you love it when I tease you."

"Yeah," I mutter sarcastically. "It's one of those _I won't know what I'm missing until it's gone_ things."

"Keep joking," Jace tells me, his smile still sitting firmly on his face. "I can be mute. You won't like it, no matter what you think."

"Sure," I say. I roll my eyes as I settle back down against him, "Whatever you say, Herondale."

He doesn't respond, and I can't help but smile myself. Jace really thinks that I think it's going to be a tragedy if I don't hear his voice. Challenge accepted.

_**~Jon~Jon~Jon~**_

The flashlight flickers out as Simon and I are standing in the back corner of the basement. I probably should have known that the batteries were going to run out while we were somewhere as dark and eerie while the power was off. That was the small amount of common sense that seemed to have eluded Simon and me both as I grabbed plastic yellow handle of the bulky rectangular box and we trooped downstairs. Of course, I couldn't tell that the batteries were dying, because the dim light that was shining from the bulb seemed plenty bright compared to the pitch blackness that was surrounding us.

All of this is flowing through my head as I realize that we're a good twenty feet away from a staircase that we can't see, and that twenty foot path could have anything in it and wouldn't know any different because it looks like a freaking sea of darkness everywhere. I wave my hand in front of my face, just to see if I can make out its silhouette. The only thing that accomplishes is accidentally smacking Simon, who is accidentally too close.

"Ouch!" he cries. I envision him clutching what felt like his cheek, though I can't be too sure.

"Sorry," I say quickly. "I didn't see you."

"Really?" Simon asks sarcastically. "I figured you did it on purpose for shits and giggles."

I scowl and follow the sound of his voice as I swat my hand at him again. This time I aim a little lower and feel the back of my hand connect with what I think is his boney shoulder. I hear him yelp lowly again, and he physically jumps away from my hand. "_That_ one was for shits and giggles."

I hear him mutter some not so nice things about me under his breath and I grin at him despite the pointlessness of the action. "Something wrong, Lewis?"

"Shut up," he mutters to me after a moment. I realize that I don't need to stretch my imagination too far to see him rolling his eyes at me. He seems to forget about the entire thing quickly as he switches back to the situation at hand. "What are we supposed to do now?"

"What do you mean?" I question, looking in his general direction. "We need to get out of the basement, Lewis. Did I hit your head too hard the first time I smacked you?"

"Thank you for that obvious bit of information," he snaps at me, impatience coloring his voice. "I _meant_ how the hell are we going to get to the door?"

"Search around until we find it?" I suggest. It seems like a legit plan.

"You do that," Simon says, though I have a feeling that he is being sarcastic. "And when you crash into one of the boxes that is holding god knows what of Magnus' I'm not risking my neck to help you."

"Point taken," I say with a nod, yet another pointless movement. "Then what do we do?"

Simon is silent, and I have a feeling that he is having the same thought and reluctance that I am about the thought. "I'm not shouting for help," I tell him. "You can sound like a little bitch."

Simon is silent for a moment. I'm waiting for him to say something. I almost reach out to make sure that he is still beside me when he finally speaks. "Forget it, Fray; I'm not shouting either."

"Then I guess we're stuck in here," I say, trying to make my voice sound as careless as possible despite the fact that I can feel the coldness of the room already creeping in.

_**~Clary~Clary~Clary~**_

"Jon and Simon have been gone for a while," Isabelle observes maybe fifteen minutes after the two boys had disappeared downstairs.

"You jealous of Jonathan?" Magnus asks, wriggling his eyebrows suggestively at her. He smirks, his lips trembling as though he is trying to stop a laugh. "I mean, he is rather handsome, but I don't think Simon swings that way."

"I think you need to remember that Jon doesn't swing that way either," I remark, looking at the glare that Alec is sending Magnus. "Might just save your life eventually."

Magnus looks over at me before quickly following my gaze to Alec. He smiles at his boyfriend sheepishly. "He's handsome for a _blond_, darling, which I don't really go for, as you can see."

I am silent, waiting for Jace to mention something about his blond hair and how Magnus would go for him because everyone does. I turn toward my couch companion, wondering about the silence. He is looking past me, at Magnus with a raised eyebrow, conveying his feelings clearly.

The silence unsettles me slightly, but it isn't the end of my world. He looks away from Magnus and back at me with a smile that just hints at his white teeth behind. I can just begin to make out a small portion of the chip in his front tooth. I just smile back, refusing to say anything to him. I feel as though it will be losing if I do. He pulls me back against him and wraps his arms around my shoulders. I lean my head against his head as I sigh in contentment. I could get used to this silent Jace.

It is about ten more minutes when I really start feeling the absence of my brother and Simon. I push myself off Jace's chest and get to my feet, shivering as the cold air hits me and rips the warmth that Jace had provided for me away. I see Alec look at me questioningly in my peripheral vision and said, "I'm going to go and see what those idiots are doing."

I see both him and Jace starting to get up, and say, "I'm _fine_ and perfectly capable of doing this one my own. I'm just walking into the kitchen. I'll be right back."

As I walk past Jace, I reach over and pat him mockingly on the top of his head. I feel him swat my hand away and snort at him. My footsteps echo softly in the kitchen as I walk to the door. I see that it is completely shut, which was a little strange. It is probably a product of one of the boys' stupidity.

I open it up and frown as I realize that there is absolutely no light coming from anywhere down below. "Hello?" I call down.

"Clary, is that you?" I hear Simon call up.

"Jesus!" I hear Jon's voice, he sounds jumpy and surprised. "When the hell'd you get there?"

"Actually it's just me," Simon's voice comes up the stairwell dryly. "Although, I have heard that the resemblance is startling."

I roll my eyes in their general direction and say, "Okay, why are you still down there?"

The next moment is complete silence and I am wondering if either of them is going to even answer me. I contemplate shutting the door on them again when Jon calls out, "The flashlight was burned out and we couldn't find our way back."

I blink, confused by their words. "Did you think to _call for help_?" I demand after a moment, wondering if they'd sustained a head injury in their time down there.

"I told you, Simon!" I hear Jon yell too loudly, and I automatically know that it is his fault somehow that they are down there still.

"What's taking so long!?" Isabelle's voice carries from the front room. "Jace is starting to miss you already!"

"Shut it, Izzy!" I hear Jace snap back and can't help but smile.

"Your boyfriend and my brother are idiots," I call back loudly. I turn my attention back to Jon and Simon and say, "Can you guys see your way back to the door now?"

"Yeah," Simon confirms; his voice is still sheepish. "We're just looking for the firewood now."

"Well," I say, backing away from the door, too afraid that stupidity was contagious to stay, "next time try keeping the door of the basement _open_, might just shed some light on your situation."

"Has no one told you that puny jokes are out of style?" Jon asks me sarcastically. "I'm going to need you to do better, Clare."

I respond with a snort that is too low for the boys down below to hear as I begin to walk away. Jon is such an idiot. Before I walk back over to the couch to sit with Jace and the others, I walk to the window, where I peer out of the glass and out into the storm. If anything, it has worsened compared to the last time I laid eyes on it. I grimace slightly and back away from the draft that is coming away from the window, shivering slightly.

"How does it look out there?" Magnus calls from the living room.

"I think it might look worse," I admit, not wanting to lie to them. I turn away from the glass and start walking toward the couch, craving Jace's warmth again, no matter how silent.

"It's okay," Alec says with an encouraging nod of his head. "Things rarely get better before they get worse."

**I feel like a bit of a jerk right now. I totally forgot to give a shout-out to Stellastone869, who wanted me to because she wanted to be sure that I was reading the jokes that she was sending me in her reviews. I loved your joke from Magnus to Alec. It was golden, my friend. Just perfect!**

**Okay. The last chapters are coming up and I am happy/sad to see it coming to a close already. Don't worry though, it isn't here yet. They only have a couple more chapters inside of the cabin before they are found. Enough of that, though! How did you like the chapter? Was it up to expectation? Did you like the part in Jon's POV? Review and let me know!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Thank you, Lauren1225 for looking this through for errors!**

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><p>Two hours have passed since Jonathan and Simon trudged out of the basement with their hands filled with firewood. Everyone is sitting in the living room in silence, but I know that it is too good to last. "I'm bored!" Magnus groaned, sounding a bit too much like a three year old for my liking.<p>

"Do something to preoccupy yourself," I tell him, from my spot on Jace's chest. I hope that will end the conversation that I will be able to go back to my almost nap in peace. Of course, I'm not that lucky.

"Alec," he says hopefully. "Your lips look lonely; would they like to meet mine?"

I hear Alec splutter something incoherently beside me and I can't fight back the peel of laughter that tears its way past my lips. I turn and look over at Alec, who is still sitting beside me. He'd been lounging almost limply a moment ago, but now he is sitting straight up, stiff as a board; his cheeks are as red as I have ever seen them. I can feel Jace shaking from silent laughter beneath me seeing as he still refuses to talk. I hear Jon sniggering from the armchair, and Isabelle cooing from the pallet. Simon is the only one that looks remotely disgusted. "Take that to the bedroom," he groans. "Isabelle and I don't torment you with cheesy pickup lines!"

"That's because you're not smart enough to come up with any," Magnus sniffs. "Imagine how we feel having to observe the silent looks you guys give each other!"

I have a feeling that this argument isn't going to be over anytime soon. I look over at Jace, who is watching them with rapt attention, his golden eyes darting back and forth between Simon and Magnus as though he is watching a tennis match. He is full-on grinning as he watches them, not even bothering to try and hide his amusement. I can feel the vibrations in his chest as he begins to laugh harder, still managing to keep them silent.

"We've got to change your bandage on your leg," I tell Jace quietly, not wanting to accidentally throw myself into the banter that has now pulled my brother into the fray. I have a feeling that if I do not hurry out of the room I will be next.

He looks down at me with a raised eyebrow and I smile at him almost pleadingly. After a moment he shrugs. I take that as a sure, and push myself off him. All of the first aid supplies are safely back in the bathroom so no one could accidently mess them up. It gives me the perfect excuse to get out of the room and away from the others for a little while. I have a little bit of a headache anyways, so it would do me good to get away from the noise. Jace has no idea how much of a favor he is doing me by being mute for my apparent annoyance.

I push the blanket off me and all the way on to Jace so that I can rise to my feet. I stretch, cracking my back. The others are so immersed in their conversations that they don't spare me or Jace a second glance as we walk behind the couch and down the hallway.

"Go to the back room," I tell him. "I'll grab the supplies." He gives me a nod, which is barely visible in the dim light of the shadowy hall, before turning around and walking through the doorway. It only takes me a few moments to grab the supplies off the counter top when I get into the bathroom. I get the alcohol, gauze, the peroxide, and a towel before hurrying to the back bedroom.

I try not to think too much about the fact that Jace has already discarded his pants, which are sitting in a careless heap in the middle of the floor. "Getting into your pants seems to be a lot easier than before," I say. My breath catches in my throat as I realize how stupid it sounds as soon as it comes from my mouth.

Thankfully Jace just snorts at me and winks, making enough of an insinuation with that single movement that words are not needed. I walk forward and sit my supplies down on the wooden floor beside the bed before kneeling beside them. I can feel the cold through the cloth of my sweat pants and cringe slightly at the feeling. My head pounds when my body suddenly tenses and I wince at the feeling. The pain eases after a moment and becomes manageable enough to push it to the back of my mind. I look up to see Jace looking at me with a concerned raised eyebrow. I can tell that he is dying to ask me what is wrong but seems to be too stubborn to break the rule of silence.

"I just have a small headache," I tell him quietly with a shrug, indicating that he shouldn't think anything of it, "no big deal." I look down at the bandage that was wrapped around his leg. "This, on the other hand, is a very big deal. Let's get it fixed up."

I start to unwrap it, going slowly to stop my heart from changing pace to prevent any sharp pains to shoot through my head. I am halfway finished with unwrapping the bandage when Jace stops me silently. He places on hand over mine and the other on my face, pulling on it until I am looking at him again. He is frowning at me silently.

"What is it?" I question softly.

"I think," he says, finally breaking his streak. His voice is slightly hoarse from its disuse over the past several hours, "that I should be asking you that question. What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I say with a reassuring smile. "Like I said, it's just a headache."

"Clary," he says. There is a hint of warning to his voice and it is clear that he doesn't like the fact I have a headache. "You hit your head this morning. That's nothing to be messing around with. My leg can wait."

"No," I insist, feeling a little aggravated. As sweet as he's being, it's getting a little annoying. I am perfectly capable of changing bandages with or without a lousy headache. "I'm fine and it needs to be changed. Do you want it to get infected?"

"I think you're far from fine," he informs me seriously. "I'll make you a deal: you come up on the bed and lay down, and I'll change my own bandages."

I look at him with narrowed eyes and he returns it with raised eyebrows and an easy smile. "Come on, Clary. What can it hurt?"

"You," I reply. "What if you don't bandage it right?" I demand.

"You got it right," he informs me. "You only halfway paid attention in class because you were apparently too busy gawking at your instructor. I'm pretty sure that I can pull it off." I blink at the sharpness of his tone. I am taken aback by the suddenness of it and a bit thrown off. His harsh expression melts after a moment and he sighs. "Sorry," he sighs, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "I didn't mean to sound so…so…."

"Jealous?" I suggest for him, raising an eyebrow.

Jace smiles at me, his lips curving in a way that makes me want to kiss them rather badly. I banish the thought from my head, blinking at the sudden feeling as he says, "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Jace Herondale does not get jealous."

"Maybe," I say with a smirk of my own, "Jonathan Christopher Herondale does."

His smile grows slightly as he leans down and wraps his arms around my middle so that his face is buried into the crook of my neck. "Maybe he does," he agrees, making my heart stutter a lot more than I am proud of admitting. He sits back up, but doesn't release me as he does. I find myself on the bed…well if I am going to be more technical about it, I am in his lap.

"What are you doing, Jace?" I demand, my hands resting on his shoulders as I try and think past the pounding that feels as though it is building up enough pressure to break my skull open.

"Trying to control the jealous rage that is burning within me," he replies dryly. I can't help but snort at this as I look at him rolling his eyes.

"Admit it, Jacie," I say; my voice is barely a whisper as I lean closer to him, smiling slightly. "You're jealous of Sebastian."

We are nose to nose as he replies. "You guys are on a first name basis, are you?" he asks, raising an eyebrow. I raise an accusing on in turn and he says. "You see, with teachers, you're not supposed to be on such familiar terms."

"Okay," I say, allowing my voice to turn thoughtful. "Then who am I allowed to be so familiar with?"

"Well," Jace says, drawing out the word. "I guess your family would be okay."

"Anyone else?" I question with a raised eyebrow.

"Girls," he said after a moment, a small smirk starting to grow on his lips. "I think they're acceptable."

"That all?" I question, allowing a small smile to grow on my face, managing to forget my headache as his proximity took up all corners of my mind.

"And me," he whispers before leaning forward so that his lips brushed against mine, causing electric tingles to shoot through my entire body. I shudder as my hands slide from his shoulders so that my arms are loosely wrapped around his neck. Our lips are barely connected and I can feel him smiling against the small parts that are. I am getting sick of waiting and am about to take initiative when he suddenly wraps his arms tightly around my waist. My lips smash against his at the same time that he leans backward, taking me with him. I'm disoriented, to say the least, so I have no idea how I end up with my back against the bed instead of Jace's.

He pulls away from me and stares with a soft smile and tender golden eyes. He pushes my hair behind my ear gently and says, "Sleep, okay? You have a headache, and I'm pretty sure you'll feel better if you sleep."

I look up at him with unsure eyes. "But Jace—"

He leans down and cuts me off with a quick and sweet kiss. "No buts, Clary. Sleep and let me wrap my leg, alright? I'll tell the others what you're doing."

"It's cold back here," I grumble, knowing that it is my last line of defense.

"Once I am finished with my leg," he says, "I'll get under the blankets and share some body heat, okay?"

I finally nod, not really wanting to let him wrap his own leg, but figuring that he is right. "Fine," I say. "I'll go to sleep."

_**~Jace~Jace~Jace~**_

Clary falls asleep quickly and I can't help but feel a little smug as I listen to her slow and even breaths. I can't help the feeling, though. I love it so much when I am right. I look down at my halfway unwrapped leg and begin to finish the job. Hopefully it won't be too hard.

Of course, it takes me about thirty long minutes to complete something that only takes her around fifteen, but I don't mind. The only thing that I am concerned about is if I did it the same way that she does. I shrug, the thought quickly fading as Clary begins to move to the forefront of my mind. I stand up, and am about to walk into the living room to tell the others, when I pause and turn around to look at her. She looks so peaceful that I can't help but smile. I decide that the others probably won't miss us too much as I crawl into the bed beside her carefully, not wanting to jolt her or my leg.

Once I settle down and cover myself with my blanket, I wrap an arm around her waist. I make sure to pull her back flush against my chest as I close my eyes. A nap kind of sounds good right now, and, with the smell of her hair invading my thoughts, it's pulling me under with a greater intensity. I don't fight it as I close my eyes, a sleepy smile coming to my face.

I wake up with the door slamming against the back wall so loudly that my ears ring as I sit straight up in the bed. My eyes are filled with sleep and are only halfway open as I glare at Jon while simultaneously trying to rub fists into my eyes to wake myself up completely.

I blink, as I slowly lower my hands, realizing that the look on his face isn't of someone with concerns about me being in the bed with his younger sister. It is something else…why is he grinning? "Dude!" he shouts excitedly, "I never thought I'd say that I love my parents, but right now, they're the best people in the freaking world!"

"Not that I'm arguing with you," I reply slowly, "but what in God's name are you talking about?"

"Get Clary up," he orders. "We're about to head up to the hospital for your leg to get checked out and then we're going to get a hotel with a backup generator."

I look at him blankly, not allowing myself to acknowledge the burning sensation of hope that is beginning to flare in my chest. His grin is widening by the seconds of silence that stretch and I am getting sick of his dramatic pause and am relieved when he finally breaks it. "My parents called up to some of their friends at Carstairs' Towing, and asked for someone to come down and check on us; some dude named Jem is here as our savior!" his voice rose at the end and I'm sure that he has finally went over the edge. I am too happy to tell him this though; I just grin and lean over Clary.

I shake her shoulder and at first she doesn't respond. When she does, it is with a groan. "My head," she whimpers, clutching at the top of her skull with both of her hands as she curls into the fetal position.

"I'm sorry," I whisper to her, kissing her temple and not really caring if Jon saw. "Just lay here for a moment, okay; someone's here to take us into town. I'll get your jacket."

I look over at Jon, who's jovial expression has dimmed a bit as concern has taken its place. He is looking at Clary concernedly. "What's wrong?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper.

"I don't really know," I tell him as I walk away from Clary, still careful to whisper so that I don't make her headache any worse. "I think her head's hurting from that fall she had." I know from the look on his face that we are both thinking the same thing. Concussion.

I turn around and look at her one last time before I walk out into the hallway. Sitting on the couch, in what looked to be wool clothes, was an oriental man with black hair and eyes that seemed to have a silvery sheen to it despite his obvious youth. I nod my head in his direction in a greeting as I cast him a polite smile. I don't have time to talk.

I make it to the coat rack and pick up Clary's jacket and immediately discard it. I don't even know what it's still doing outside of a garbage bin; the things covered in blood…my blood. Just the sight of it causes my leg to throb and I grimace slightly as I pick my leather jacket up. She would just have to wear this. I doubt she would have enough energy to really fight about anything anyway.

"Come on," I say to her as I make it back into the room. I have the jacket slung over one arm as I walk to the bed. She is trying to get up, but I can tell that the pain is crippling her. "Only have a little way to walk. You know what," I murmur, "I can't carry you right now, which I feel awful about, but Jon can."

"No," Clary whispers weakly. She winces as though the movement pains her as well.

I grimace at it and say, "You're not walking, Clare. It'll be over before you know it."

I get up before she can say anything and walk back out of the room to get Jonathan. So we could finally get out of the snowed in cabin.

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><p><strong>Hey! It's almost the end again! I admittedly thought of another story idea a couple of days ago and I am in the process of seeing if I like the idea or not. The name: How to not Die During the Zombie Apocalypse. Tell me if the title seems interesting at all to you! I'll put the summery up for it next chapter. <strong>


	13. Chapter 13

So it turns out that Jace is being kept in the hospital overnight because of an infection that was starting to grow in his leg. The doctors had given him some antibiotics to fight it off and want to make sure that it is working before he leaves. On top of the antibiotics, he's under the influence of some pretty strong painkillers. That's why Jon and I are sitting in his hospital room while he is sound asleep. My brother looks as though he is about to nod off as well. I don't feel an ounce of tiredness as I sit in the uncomfortable armchair nearest to his bed. Jon has taken the loveseat that is overlooking the window. The curtains are drawn, hiding the image of the snow that is still constantly falling down.

"I give," Jon croaks after a moment, yawning so loudly that I am sure that Jace is going to wake up from that obnoxious noise alone. "I don't know how you do it, Clare, but I can't; I'm about to fall out asleep."

"I didn't say that you had to stay," I say quietly, turning to look at him. "I'm perfectly capable of being here by myself for a little while."

"But the doctor said that-"

"The doctor said that I was fine, but that he would prefer me to have supervision for the next couple of days," I tell him. I don't show him how much my heart swells at how much he cares. "Go down and get a cup of coffee or you're not going to be able to watch me anyway."

He looks at me with narrowed eyes and I just sigh, "Jonathan, please think about this logically. I'm at a hospital right now. If something bad were to happen while you're gone, I'm sure I'll be able to get the help that I need."

"So you admit that there's a possibility of something bad happening," he says triumphantly.

"Something bad is going to happen if you don't go and get some coffee," I tell him impatiently. "The doctors won't be able to help you when I'm finished."

"Overdramatic much?" Jon rolls his eyes at me, making clear that I am not intimidating him one bit.

I am going to have to work on my tough-girl routine.

He gets up despite the fact that he doesn't seem to be afraid of me. "I'm going to be really stupid right now," he says to me with a sarcastic smile, "and trust your judgment." His smile drops after a moment as he walks to the door. "Don't make me regret it."

I nod at him, grinning as he backs out of the door, as though I am trying to silently convey that there is nothing to worry about. The door closes behind him, making a loud echo through the still air as I lean back in my chair, pulling my legs up with me. My smile fades slightly, only the corners of my lips still staying up as I watch Jace rest.

He seems blissfully untroubled compared to the state that I've seen him in over the time that we've been in the cabin. I rest my arms over my knees and lay my head on them as I look at him.

I inhale and exhale fully before he begins to shift around in his bed slightly, becoming more restless with every passing second. I know that his is going to wake up any moment. I smile as I see his eyes flicker open. He looks around the room groggily and unseeingly before his eyes make it to me. They stop and he smiles at me tiredly. "Hey," he says hoarsely before closing his eyes yet again. He brings his hands up, balled into fists, and rubs them against his eyelids. When he looks at me again, he seems a bit more lucid, though I can still see the glaze in them from the narcotics that he is on.

"Hey," I say, pushing myself forward in the chair so that I am perched on the edge of it. My knees are only a few inches from the white cotton of the blanket this way. "How do you feel?"

"I think that I should be asking you that," he tells me seriously, his lips turning downward in a frown. "You could have been seriously injured and I was asleep."

"I'm fine," I say with a wave of my hand. "The doctor said that it was only minor and that all I need is supervision over the next couple of days."

Jace looks at me for a few more seconds and I can tell that he doesn't like the idea of letting it go. Eventually he just sighs and a smirk begins to stretch across his face. "I guess I could see to your constant supervision personally. I mean, you shouldn't get food by yourself, sit by yourself, sleep by yourself, shower by yourself, or get changed by yourself."

"You're lucky you're already hurt," I tell him as I try to contain a laugh. "Not even the fact that you're cute would have saved you from that one."

"I'm manly, not cute," Jace says, rolling his eyes at my obvious musings. "Though, I will have you know that the level of my good looks is high enough to get me out of anything, and you know it."

"Don't get too arrogant, Herondale," I warn him, though I have a feeling that he is very right. Jace smiles at me as though he knows what is going through my head. "I don't know if you'll be able to walk on your bad leg if your head gets any bigger."

"I'll use your adoration of me as a crutch," he assures me with a wave of his hand. He says it so seriously that it takes me a moment to realize that he is joking.

I want to talk to him about my adoration of him and tell him that his feelings toward me were not unrequited, but I didn't quite know how to bring it up. I just look at him and smile uncertainly. He seems to know what is going on through my mind, however, because he says, "On a scale of one to ten, how strong is your said _adoration_ of me?"

I flush slightly, taken aback by the forwardness of the question. I shouldn't be surprised, though, considering who it is coming from. Jace looks at me with a straight face; his eyes are widened slightly as his eyebrows rise in curiosity. "I don't know if I really appreciate the comparison by numbers," I tell him quietly. I'm being honest, not evasive. I don't want to rank my affections to him in numbers. That's just stupid.

"Then how would you compare it?" Jace asked. "Numbers are infinite and I figured that you're devotion to me probably was too."

I roll my eyes, hating how poetic he makes that sound even if it is about him. "How about your level of idiocy?" I question innocently.

"I always considered my idiotic level to be really low," Jace confided in me. "I guess that means that you don't like me, then."

"Quite the opposite, actually," I inform him seriously. "You're the largest idiot I've ever met. Do you think I kiss people that I don't like, concussion or not? I mean, really Jace, how oblivious can you get? I don't understand you. You're such a smart guy, but you're such an idiot that the thought makes me cringe!"

Jace smiles at me, his golden eyes shining with hope. "You mean that?"

"Yes," I tell him, returning his smile, "I mean with a full heart that you're an idiot."

"No, I mean—"

"I know what you meant, Herondale," I tell him as I slip off the chair completely and move to stand over him. I lean down so that we are nose to nose. "I like you. If I were to rank this feeling in the level of your idiocy, I would say that my feelings rise above and beyond it."

He snorts at this and I can tell that he has something smart to say as a reply. Thankfully, there is a very handy way of shutting him up. I simply lean down a centimeter or two, and suddenly, his lips are too preoccupied doing something else.

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><p>It's two days later when my parents arrive in Idris. I would recognize the head of white blond hair, muscular build, and almost black eyes from my father anywhere. Not to mention that my mother's long red hair, green eyes, and tall, but graceful form was immediately recognizable as well. Alec and I were walking through the lobby of the hotel, carrying two trays filled with coffee orders from everyone up in the room when I spotted them.<p>

They were both grinning like madmen, because they'd spotted me first. As soon as I locked eyes with them, which probably should have been impossible to look at them both at once, I was off in a sprint. People, do not try running with a tray of steaming hot coffee at home. Most times it does not end well. This was one of the rare occasions where I only have a few burns on one of my thumbs by the time I make it to them.

Alec is on my heels, calling my name questioningly. Clearly he does not see the miracle that is walking toward us. Then I realize that he has seen them; he's seen more than me, which is why he was calling my name. All noise in the lobby seems to stop as I see the beautiful blond mane of Kaelie Whitewillow walking in behind them.

My feet falter to a stop as my brain tries to make sense of what my eyes are showing me. She is walking behind my mother and father with a suitcase in her hand. Her blue eyes are widened as she looks around. I can't tell if the worry on her face is genuine or not, but the thought sickens me either way. I know she's looking for Jace, but that doesn't stop her eyes from stopping as soon as they reach me.

A sneer sets itself over her face and I can see a fight coming before they are even in hearing range. A second later, I am awkwardly engulfed into a double embrace, both of my parents careful to maneuver out of the way of the potentially dangerous liquid that I am balancing in my hands.

"Thank goodness you're okay!" my mother says, her mouth just a little too close to my ear for her to be talking so loudly. I'd almost forgotten that Jonathan had called them using some kind of landline phone from the hospital and told them about my head injury. "Does it still hurt?"

"Not really," I say smiling up at them as they both release me. "I know that Jace is in a lot more pain than I am." I say his name casually, but it's a jab at Kaelie. I watch her out of the corner of my eye, wondering what she's going to do.

"We're being rude," my father says loudly. He turns around and gestures toward the blond behind him. "This is one of your old high-school friends, right?" he questions. "She said that she was Jace's girlfriend and that she was worried sick about him. We told her that she could follow us up here to see him."

"Hello, Clary," she says with a small wave. I smile coldly at her, hot anger pooling in my stomach so violently that it takes every piece of willpower that I possess to not take the coffee in my hand and throw it at her as hard as I can. I don't because I know that my parents will stop me before I can do anymore damage; after what she's done to me, she deserves a lot more than that.

"Hello, Kaelie," I say before turning around and walking toward the elevator on the other side of the large room. Thankfully, it wasn't too busy, or I am sure that I would have spilled the coffee off my tray; I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings all that well, much too focused on getting out of there and away from Kaelie.

Of course, as soon as I step into the elevator, I realize my mistake. Alec gets on behind me, muttering something in my ear that I can't hear past the rushing blood, though I have a feeling he is talking about not killing Kaelie. My parents follow me and then Kaelie, of all people, enters the confined box last. She is standing by the buttons to mark what floor to stop on, which means that she is right beside me. I can feel the temptation to wrap my fingers around a clump of her perfectly maintained hair and yank it out of her scalp.

I figured that if I couldn't do that in front of my parents, I could at least warn her to back off. "Kaelie," I tell her, making her jump slightly, "I feel so happy for you and Jace! He told me all about his conversation with you over the phone the night before he came on the trip."

She turns around a looks at me. Her blue eyes are slightly widened, but she seems almost completely unaffected by the revelation. "The conversation was a misunderstanding," she shrugs. "I'm here for him now, and I'm sure we can talk about that when we get to the room."

He doesn't want you here, I want to tell her, but I can't. I simply smile at her. It's a fake one, laced with challenge. My parents remain oblivious to it, but I can see Alec eyeing me nervously, as though waiting for me to blow up. Not yet, Alec, not yet.

The silence in the elevator the entire way to our floor is suffocating; the only thing breaking it is the bad elevator music that I wish will just accidently short circuit.

As soon as the doors ding open, I want to push my way out. Sadly, I cannot because I am at the back and I'm still holding the stupid cups of coffee! Kaelie gets off first, pulling her suitcase behind her. She turns around and looks at me with raised eyebrows. My parents get off next and finally Alec and I walk off in single file. Thankfully the people took one look at Jace and his crutches and managed to place us in a room close to the elevator. I manage to lead them there without allowing the urge to trip Kaelie with her own luggage to overcome me. I take out the key card from my back pocket and hand it to my father, knowing that I am going to be too impatient to get it right. He smiles at me and turns to work his magic. Within a second the door flies open, and both of my parents rush inside, shouting for Jon. Alec walks in next and before I can, I feel Kaelie grab my arm with one of her perfectly manicured hands.

"You have half a second to let me go before you lose a limb," I inform her, my voice as hostile as I can make it.

"I don't know what the hell that was back in the elevator," she hisses at me, "but you'd better stay away from Jace. He's still mine."

"You're a pathetic bitch," I tell her, shaking my head in astonishment. "I hope you know that, and I think I'm going to watch your ultimate rejection before I start with what you deserve with what happened a year ago."

Once again, she seems unfazed by my words. She simply shrugs and struts inside. I follow her in, a lot less gracefully and scowling the entire time.

The first voice I hear is Isabelle's. "What the hell are you doing here?" I manage to peer around Kaelie to see her outraged form standing up from one of the couches in the suite. Her hands are balled up into fists and her dark eyes glitter with what looks to be the malicious intent to kill. I wonder if I will allow myself a partner in crime.

"Isabelle," my mother scolds her. "Language!" She looks between Izzy and Kaelie with suspicion, but Kaelie looks at Isabelle innocently. "The girl's here because she's concerned about her boyfriend!"

"She doesn't have a boyfriend, Mrs. Fray," Simon says before Izzy can respond. It's the first time that I notice my lanky friend sitting behind her. He is looking at Kaelie with a furrowed brow, almost as though he is trying to figure out her motive.

"Don't be silly, Simon," Kaelie says, her voice a falsely high pitch laugh. "Jace is my boyfriend!"

"No," I hear another cold voice from my right. The bedroom door was open and Jace was standing in the threshold with Jon and Magnus behind him. His eyes were cold with undisguised fury and I took a step back myself, thankful that he wasn't looking at me with those eyes.

"Okay," my father's voice rumbles. I can tell that he is getting annoyed with all of the confusion that is going on. Poor guy. "What the hell's going on here?"

"She's a lying bitch."

"It's all a misunderstanding!"

"Clearly she doesn't know how to take no for an answer."

"Enough!" my father roars, his voice drowning out Isabelle, Kaelie and Simon. He looks over at Jace, who is still standing in the threshold with his arms crossed. "You, Jace, tell me what's going on."

"Clearly she lied to you," Jace says. He limps out of the room, only wincing slightly as he goes. He walks past my father and past Kaelie, who is right in front of me. He stands beside me and I wrap my arm around his waist, trying to add some extra support to his bad leg, which he is supposed to be off of right now.

"Don't you think you can explain this from the couch?" I ask him worriedly, looking up at him.

He just smiles at me. "I'm fine, no worries." He looks back over at my parents and says, "I'm not dating Kaelie anymore. She's lying and she's heartless. If she came all the way out here just to try and win me over, then all I can tell her is that it's been a wasted trip."

A heavy silence echoes through the room and I know that awkwardness is about to settle in. I can see a plan forming in Kaelie's mind, though I have no idea what it is. Before she can say a word, I cut her off. "And, bitch, about what you said outside of the room about me staying away from Jace because he's yours…you see, that's going to be a bit of a problem, because," I turn and grab him by the collar of the shirt, pulling him forward so that his lips crash into mine.

I can hear Simon's whistle, Isabelle's cheers Jon's groans, and Magnus' catcalls, but I don't care. The fact that my parents are watching probably should have meant something, but it really doesn't. I release him after a moment, ignoring the dazed expression on his face as I walk toward Kaelie. "Do me a favor and follow your own advice." I look her over in disgust. "Faking a pregnancy with someone that never slept with you is pathetic, and I never knew that you aspired to be a larger whore than you actually are." I see her eyes widen slightly and I know I have hit a nerve. "Do us all a favor and get lost."

Kaelie tries to maintain some of her dignity as she walks out of the doorway. She keeps her head held high, and she turns around to look at Jace. "You're going to see one of these days that you still want me and when you come crawling back, I'll crush you harder than ever."

Jace nods his head sarcastically as Isabelle snorts. "Sure, Kaelie," he says sarcastically. "Whatever puts you to sleep at night."

And just like that, she was gone. The door shut behind her and I was brought back to the fact that my parents are in the room. I cringe slightly at the thought as I turn around to look at them. They are taking turns looking at Jace and me. I can tell that my father wants to act stern and angry with Jace, but I can see the corners of his mouth twitching upward as though he is fighting off a smile. My mother is frowning, however as she looks at me. "Don't you think that you're moving a bit fast?" she questions.

"Mrs. Fray," Jace says. He looks at my mother guiltily, "I never stopped loving your daughter, but when Kaelie said that I had a kid, there was no way that I could bring that baggage in on her. I didn't know that Kaelie was lying to me or I never would have left."

"He isn't lying mom," Jon says, much to my surprise. "I've seen the way that he looked at her in school, and the way that he looked at her all the time that we were in the cabin." I feel my face flush at the words and my eyes lower to the ground. How much embarrassment can I take before I just stay red?

* * *

><p>We have to stay at the hotel for a couple more days before the roads clear. All of the power is back on in the city, so Magnus' cabin is back up for grabs. My parents opt to stay at the hotel, insisting that the cabin would be much too small. They come over for visiting during the day, though.<p>

They'd a few hours ago on Christmas Eve. We had all put a small Christmas Tree up. It was sad and thin, but there were enough lights and garland on it to make up for the loss. The others had retreated into their rooms, all except for Jon, who'd managed to snare the attention of some girl at the hotel and was taking her out for coffee, thought the way that he was wriggling his eyebrows at Jace as he told him about it makes me think that coffee might be code for something that I don't want to know about. I inwardly shudder at the thought before pushing it out of my mind.

"So," Jace says. We are both sitting on the couch, looking up at the tree lights. I curl up into him, smiling as I rest my ear against his chest, listening to the steady thump thump of his heartbeat. "I saw you and Isabelle try and sneakily slip out of here today, are you going to tell me what you bought me for Christmas?"

"You're saying that if I were to place a bow on top of my head and sit under the tree that it wouldn't be a good enough present?" I question, trying to evade the question.

Jace smirks at me. "That depends…is that all you're wearing?"

I hit him on the chest lightly. "Pervert," I mutter, rolling my eyes.

"You love me anyway," he informs me teasingly.

"So what did you buy me?" I question.

"I was thinking under the same lines as you," he says jokingly.

"I guess that depends," I say. "What will you be wearing, and what color bow on top of your head?"

Jace laughs and says, "Mauve bow, and I have to wear at least my boxers. I don't need to have anyone other than you entranced by my handsomeness."

I roll my eyes at him, too used to his arrogance to pay it any attention. "Of course," I say, nodding my head. "Because if Magnus tries to jump you, I'm going to have to kick his ass."

Jace snorts, apparently appreciating the vivid mental image this gives him. He leans down and rests his cheek on my hair. "Merry Christmas, Clary," he whispers. His voice is almost too quiet for me to hear, but I just manage to make out the sounds.

I smile as he pulls me even more closely against him. "Merry Christmas, Jace," I murmur to him just as quietly, my eyes fluttering shut. I know that Jace passes out before I do, which is saying a lot. I fall asleep quickly, a smile on my face as I lay there thinking, Thank God for snowed in cabins.

* * *

><p><strong>And finished! So this is where I get to smile and jump up and down excitedly because I got my next story done, but considering the fact that it's only fourteen or so chapters long…meh, not really a story. More like a short story. I'll take it, though!<strong>

**Leave a review on your way out so I can know what you thought about the story as a whole along with how you felt about the concluding chapter. I hope you liked it!**

**A lot of you asked about the next story. I was going to reply back to you all individually, when I realized that there was more than a couple. I figured that I would just wait to tell you all in the A/N. The next story is TMI, of course! I can't get enough of Clary/Jace.**

**This one is going to be a cross over with TID, though because it'll fit better if there's a wider expanse of characters. (Not to mention Will and Tessa!) When I'm writing it, I'll keep it in the TMI section and just switch it when it's completed.**

**So, as promised, here is your summery for **_**How to not die During the Zombie Apocalypse:**_

_**Clary Fray, and her sister, Tessa are both on the road trying to stay alive. Of course, there are a lot of obvious rules and regulations to surviving the Apocalypse. So what happens when the two sisters, who are practically experts, meet a pair of gorgeous, zombie slaying cousins that make them question everything that they have ever known?**_


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